Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War
by WolfManJon
Summary: Wolf O'Donnell needs a change, but he gets more than he bargained for when he hires new teammates, and sets out to make a name for himself, but ends up trying save the galaxy... And his soul. -Please read and review!-
1. The interviews begin

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

**This is a fanfiction that I wrote for my own website. I have edited and revised it, removing some of the inside jokes that others wouldn't get (though many of the names will be unusual to you), and revamped the beginning somewhat. The (almost) finished product of the original is nearly 350 pages long (on my computer), so sit back and get ready for a long journey. And don't let the beginning fool you... This gets serious pretty quickly. One more note... If you're confused about the timeline for this, just know that it happened sometime after **_**Assault**_**, but in an alternate universe, so some things that have happened in the games up to that point haven't happened here... It'll make sense later, trust me. Enjoy! - Jonny Wolfe (**_**WolfManJon**_**)**

_Chapter One : The interviews begin..._

"Captain's log... I am interviewing possible recruits for the team today, to replace the morons I currently employ. Leon, Andrew, Panther... They have a surprise in store. I just hope the newbies are good pilots, and can take orders."

Wolf O'Donnell tossed his recorder down on the desk in front of him, and leaned back in his chair. They would arrive soon... The hopefuls. Wolf wanted to be hopeful himself, but with the losing streak he was carrying, it was hard to be optimistic.

"Hey! There're ships landing out there!" a whiny voice called from down the hall. "Are we under attack? UNCLE ANDROSS!"

"Shut your trap, Andrew, you blithering idiot!" Wolf yelled back, as he exited his quarters. "I was expecting company."

As Wolf entered the computer room, he saw Andrew leaning forward, eyes glued to the monitor in front of him.

"Who are they?" he asked, turning his ape-ish face toward his captain.

"None of your business, you wimp," Wolf snarled, grabbing the back of Andrew's chair, and turning it over with him in it. "Now get out of here... Go to your quarters, and stay out of my fur today."

"I'll tell Uncle Andross about this!" Andrew exclaimed, getting to his feet. But he hurried out of the room anyway, noting the 'don't argue with me' look in Wolf's eyes.

"Sniveling little creep," Wolf muttered. Scanning the monitor, Wolf saw that some of the possible recruits were making their way up to the main doors, some shaking hands, some ignoring the rest. Wolf hoped he could quickly find the ones he needed, so he could cancel the rest of the meetings.

Five minutes later Wolf was seated at a table, with one of the recruits sitting opposite him.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Mafefe La-... *cough*... Larone, sir," the young human said, seeming to choke up for a moment, but quickly recovering. "I can't wait to be a member of your team!"

"Cool your thrusters, pup, we're just getting started," Wolf said, narrowing his eyes. "Now... What's your experience level being a merecenary?"

"I'm a noob."

"...A noob?"

"Yes."

"Right... Um... What's your experience level as a pilot, then?"

"Noob."

Wolf frowned.

"Is there anything you can do that you're not a noob at?" he asked.

"Yes!"

"What?"

"Acting like a noob," Mafefe replied proudly.

Wolf had a deadly glint in his eyes as he yelled, "GET OUT!"

"Am I in?"

"NO! GET OUT, YOU STUPID LITTLE NOOB, BEFORE I BLAST YOU TO BITS!"

"No need to go all caps at me, I'm going," Mafefe said, seeming affronted. He then quickly fled the interview room, leaving Wolf to take some steadying breaths to calm himself.

"Next!"

Wolf shook his head. He knew he needed to keep his temper in check, but his idea to call in new recruits was already seeming to be a rather... well... lousy idea. Still, there were more waiting outside the doors... Who'd be entering any moment.

A knock sounded against the steel door. Wolf told them to come in, and the door opened, revealing... Mafefe.

"I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO-"

"Cool it a second, big shot," Mafefe interrupted. "I'm only back to tell you that one of the guys that are here wants to show you something outside. He paid me ten denari!" He smiled happily.

"Oh. Okay. NOW GET OUT!" Wolf yelled, brushing past him, and heading for the main doors.

"I will..." Mafefe said. Waiting until Wolf was out of earshot, he added, "When I'm ready... Heh-heh-heh..." He then disappeared down a nearby hallway.

Meanwhile, Wolf had made his way outside, and was surprised to find a rather tall robot waiting for him.

"What the..."

"Greetings, sir," the robot said, sounding very much _unlike_ any robot Wolf had ever heard. "I'm Articerile Montague... I wanted to show you my uber-impressive mech-suit, so you could see how valuable I'd be to your team!" He then proceeded to show off the maneuverability of his mech unit, and the weapons.

Wolf narrowed his eyes when he was done.

"You'd be swell for ground missions, sure, but what about for the air?" he asked. "We spend a lot of our time flying."

"Easy." Out of the top of what Wolf took to be the robot's head, came a small figure, who quickly clambered down to the ground. He moved so quickly, Wolf couldn't see him to tell if he was a human, Lylatian, Martian, or what. Seconds later the figure had bounded into the cockpit of a nearby Wolfen, which had carelessly been left with the hatch open.

_"Andrew's,"_ Wolf thought, rolling his eyes.

But he paid attention to this Articerile person, who quickly started the Wolfen and took off. He took the ship through a quick series of loops and turns, then landed it without missing a beat. Hopping out, he quickly scaled the mech-suit, and took his place in the 'head' once more.

"Whatcha think?" Articerile called down.

Wolf nodded.

"You seem to know your stuff, and that mech-suit looks pretty sturdy," he said. "I'll put you on the short-list... I'm not entirely sold, mind you. I've got more people to talk to."

"That's fine, you'll figure out I'm the one you need soon enough," Articerile said.

"Don't get cocky, pup," Wolf warned.

"Where can I park my mech and take a load off while you make up your mind?"

"Over there, in the hangar," Wolf said, motioning. "There's a coffee maker in there, and some stale donuts... Help yourself."

As the mech-suit ambled off, Wolf shook his head slowly. All right, so the kid wasn't a bad pilot, and he had a mech-suit. But Andrew wasn't a bad pilot, either, and his LandBlaster tank was faster than any mech-suit, albeit probaly not as versatile.

No... So far Wolf wasn't exactly thrilled with the outcome of his own plan... Crazy as that seemed, considering who he was. He was Wolf O'Donnell. He was a legend. And he was arrogant, too. Oh well... There was a first for everything.

*****

Wolf sat down at the table after sending two more losers packing, and sighed. This was not what he had expected. Then again, his plans never worked. How many times had he faced that blasted Fox McCloud and lost? Of course, Fox and his dorky companions always seemed to get lucky... Something happened that turned things their way. That didn't seem to happen for Wolf.

_"And why not?"_ he wondered. _"Am I not faster, stronger, wittier, better looking, cooler..."_ He trailed off as he heard a knock at the door. "Come in."

Seated at the table arcross from him a moment later was a strange little man dressed in green overalls, and a green hat sporting a letter L on it. Wolf rolled his eyes, but asked him some questions anyway.

"Name?"

"I'm-a Luigi."

"Experience as a mercenary?"

"Err..."

"Experience as a pilot?"

"Well-a..."

"What was your last job?"

"I-a was a plumber-a," the little fellow replied.

"Plumber?"

"Yes-a."

Wolf rubbed his temples, contemplating various ways of torturing this guy for wasting his time. A minute later he said, "You have one minute to get off this planet before I rip out your eyeballs and make you swallow them."

"Oh-a, dear-a," Luigi said, paling. "That's-a not very nice-a! I-a thought you were-a one of the-a good-a guys, Mr. McCloud-a!"

"Did you say McCloud-a? I mean... McCloud? You fool, my name's O'Donnell! Wolf O'Donnell, sworn enemy to Fox McCloud!" Wolf snarled, leaping to his feet.

"Oh-a..." Luigi said, visibly trembling. "My-a mistake... Must-a be going now-a... Good-a-bye!" With that he ran as fast as his little legs would carry him, never looking back.

"NEXT!" Wolf called, furious.

The door swung open as Wolf sat down.

"Hi, I'm Lazlo Buttersworth!" said a voice.

Wolf looked around but saw no one attached to it. Perplexed, he said, "Where are you?"

"Right here!"

Wolf stood up again, and looked down. Hidden below the edge of the table was a very short... thing. It was rather like a large marshmallow with legs, a hat, and... a shovel.

"Can you even work the controls of a ship?" Wolf asked, torn between laughter and dismay.

"Err... No... But I can dig things up!" Lazlo replied.

Wolf sighed.

"Out... Just... Out..." he said, waving a hand.

"Sure thing! I'll just go dig around outside, boss," he said, and scurried out the door.

"No, wait, I didn't hire... Aw, skip it," Wolf said, shaking his head. "NEXT."

"Eekum Bokum!"

"Said what?" Wolf said, staring with wide eyes at the newcomer. He was a strange little purplish creature with a skull mask (or maybe it was his face)... He was wearing mechanic's overalls, odder still.

"Mumbo come from far off land to join Wolf Man's team."

"So you're... Mumbo?"

"How Wolf Man know Mumbo's name? Mumbo no tell him."

Wolf rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, what skills do you have?" he asked.

"Mumbo Jumbo best shaman in land... In all lands," Mumbo replied.

"Shaman? Isn't that like... A magician or summat?" Wolf asked skeptically.

"Yes. Mumbo very adept in magic. Mumbo show Wolf Man?"

"Yeah, sure, go ahead..." Wolf replied.

Mumbo glanced around the room, and his eyes rested on a plastic plant in the corner.

"EEKUM BOKUM, EEKUM BOKUM, BOOP BADA BOO, BOOP BADA BOO, EEKUM BOKUM, EEKUM BOKUM, HEE HO HA, EEKUM BOKUM, EEKUM BOKUM, OOBANACKA!" he chanted.

To Wolf's amazement the plant began to move! It sprouted root-like legs, and limb-like arms, and googly eyes. It started walking around the room, air-boxing.

"Mumbo give plant strong right cross," Mumbo said proudly. "Mumbo best shaman in universe."

Wolf stared at the plant as it made it's way out of the room, and down the hall. He briefly thought about what Andrew would say if it walked into his quarters, and that made him laugh.

"That's pretty impressive stuff, shaman," he said a moment later. "But what about being a mercenary? And piloting a ship?"

"Mumbo best at everything Mumbo put his mind to. Mumbo good pilot, and Mumbo is darn good mechanic, now, too. Mumbo know his nuts and bolts."

Wolf nodded slowly.

"Why don't you head down to the hangar and wait for my decision?" he asked, getting to his feet. "I'm pretty much sold, but I have more people to talk to."

Mumbo shrugged.

"Mumbo best recruit in universe," he said. "Mumbo no see what Wolf Man have to decide. But Mumbo wait in hangar." He left the room, as Wolf called out, "NEXT."

The next two interviews went rather quickly... The first was with a fellow named Josh Cornwell.

"Okay, Josh, first question... Do you have what it takes to be a merc?"

"Um... No, not really..."

"No?" Wolf repeated. "Then why are you here?"

"To try and help you avoid losing your soul," Josh replied.

"...That's ridiculous. Get out."

"Okay, okay... But let me leave you this pamphlet on divine teachings-"

"OUT. NEXT."

The next person was a girl, the first to ever try to join the team.

"You're... You're... A FEMALE..." Wolf said in surprise.

"Duh..." she said, rolling her eyes.

"Err... Name?"

"Jo Elliot."

"Why do you want to join?"

"Because I think animals are cute," she replied.

Wolf glared at her.

"That's your big reason?" he asked.

"Yes... What better reason is there?"

"OUT! OUT! OUT!" Wolf yelled. "AND I'M NOT CUTE, EITHER!"

"No, you're not, you're a meany..." she said, shaking her head. "I'll go see that cute Fox."

"GET OUT!"

Wolf sighed in dismay... There was only one more person outside, and no telling rather more would show or not... And he had only two halfway decent propsects.

"Oh, whatever is the matter, Wolfie-boy?" asked Panther Caruso, as he entered the room.

Wolf looked up angrily.

"Don't call me that, you freak..." he grunted.

"Why don't you just take it easy, relax... Smell the roses?" Panther said, whipping out a rose to hold under Wolf's nose.

Wolf had a deadly gleam in his eyes, which most people would've picked up on. Panther just thought he liked the flower.

The next possible recruit heard quite a lot of crashing, slamming, and cries of pain coming from the interview room. He steeled himself, and pushed the door open, just in time to see Wolf heave... something... into a closet, and slam the door. He spun around and glared at the new arrival.

"What did you see?" he asked.

"Erm, nothing, sir," the short, reddish-colored Anthro-Avian said. "Nothing at all."

"Good. Sit down. Now... What's your name?"

"Kazzart Twessel, sir."

"Said what?"

"Call me Kay-Tee."

"That's better... All right, why are you here?" Wolf asked.

"Um... To join your team, sir," Kay-Tee replied. "I'm a pretty good pilot, a quick thinker, and a great cook."

"Yes, well... Wait... Did you say a great cook?"

"Yes, sir."

"Hmm... Well, I'll say this, you have good manners. You're a promising sort, even if you are a bit small. And we need a cook. So, why don't you head out to the hangar, and meet Articerile and Mumbo? They're on the shortlist, and now so are you."

"Thanks, sir!" Kay-Tee said, hopping up, and dashing away.

Wolf smiled... Maybe this would work out. And... He really did need at least _one _new member now.

_End of Chapter One_

**Well, that's it for now... Expect me to add chapters fairly quickly. As I said, this fanfiction is almost complete, so it's simply a matter of editing and transfering. By the time I'm caught up here, it will likely be done at CGC. Hope you liked it, and please comment! - Jonny Wolfe (**_**WolfManJon**_**)**


	2. Hiring, Firing, and Flying to Shelkonwa

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

_Chapter Two : Hiring, Firing, and Flying to Shelkonwa_

"Captain's log... Well, things are looking up a bit... but I still need some persuasion. Maybe even a couple more decent prospects. Here's hoping."

Several more wannabe recruits showed up that day... And were all sent packing. Each one had promise, but in the end, just didn't fit the bill. That changed with the next arrival. He was an Anthro-Lynx, who called himself Paradox Author.

"Can you fly a ship?"

"I have my own, actually, and I'm a good pilot... I'm not necessarily the best in a dogfight, though."

"So what good would you be to my team?" Wolf asked, thinking of the number of dogfights Star Wolf had been a part of.

"I'm a talented spy."

"Spy?" Wolf thought about that for a moment, then nodded. "That sounds promising, Paradox Au-... Do you mind if I call you Dox?"

"Not at all."

"Good. Okay, Dox, head to the hangar... You've been shortlisted."

"Thanks!"

"NEXT."

And then there was one.

"Hello! My name Tor Ent! I am better, you pick me, be happy! We all smile now! I like people!"

Wolf stared at him for a long minute, and then pointed to the door.

"Get the freak out..."

"You miss me I bet, someday I come again, I'm not so scary, KTHXBYE!"

Wolf banged his head against the table a few times, trying to dislodge the last three minutes from his mind. This accomplished, he headed out of the interview room, and down the hall. To his surprise he heard noises coming from his quarters. Rushing to the door, he tried to open it and found it locked.

"Hey, who's in there?!?"

"Hey Wolf! I'm in your room, reading your diary!"

Wolf recognized that voice... Mafefe!

"You little-! GET OUT OF THERE!"

"There goes the caps again... All right, I'm leaving!"

Wolf took out his blaster, shot the handle, and kicked in the door. He was just in time to see Mafefe leap out the window.

"Hey, somebody stop that noob!" Wolf yelled.

The four possible recruits from the hangar rushed out. Mumbo managed to cut Mafefe off, and brandishing his shaman stick menacingly, he chanted, "EEKUM BOKUM, EEKUM BOKUM, BOOP BADA BOO, BOOP BADA BOO, EEKUM BOKUM, EEKUM BOKUM, HEE HO HA, EEKUM BOKUM, EEKUM BOKUM, OOBANACKA!"

Mafefe vanished in a puff of smoke, and on the ground where he once stood was a small rock... with googly eyes.

"Mumbo make Man Feef a paper-weight for Wolf Man's desk," said Mumbo. "Ha ha."

Wolf grinned.

"Good one, shaman..." he said.

"You've got some serious security issues," Articerile commented.

"I told Andrew to get the top of the line, as much as our budget allowed," Wolf said.

"It's the equivalent of a trip-cord with a broken bell on it."

"Oh... That _idiot_."

"I'll see what I can do, okay? I'm handy with electronics, maybe I can fix the security system."

"Thanks, Arti... Appreciate it."

Stepping back from the window, Wolf looked thoughtful. Maybe they weren't the best he could get, but he needed a change of pace... And he was sick of working with idiots.

"Andrew, Leon, Panth-... Oh, right... Anyway, Andrew and Leon, get to the computer room ASAP!"

Moments later they were standing before him in the computer room.

"What is it?" Leon asked boredly. "I was watching a program..."

"Yeah, whaddaya want?" Andrew asked. "To apologize for treating me like dirt?"

"You are dirt, Andrew. A dirt _clod_, to be precise."

Leon snorted, which made Wolf round on him.

"And you're nothing but an arrogant, useless lizard," he said.

"What?!?" Andrew and Leon exclaimed simultaneously.

"That's right... And you're through here, both of you," Wolf said, nodding. "This is the end of your tenure as mercenaries working for Star Wolf."

"But... But... Uncle Andross will be furious!" Andrew whined.

"Your uncle loathes you, you twerp," Wolf snorted.

"But you can't fire me... I am the great Leon!" Leon exclaimed.

"The useless, self-important Leon, you mean," Wolf countered. "Now get outta here! NOW! And leave the Wolfens... They're mine. Use a portal, and get outta my fur once and for all!"

He had casually drawn his pistol, and had it at his side. Leon noted this, and thought for only a moment about going for his own. Deciding against it, he huffed indignantly, and strode away.

Andrew looked torn between anger and tears.  
"But... Where will I work now?" he asked.

"I'm sure your dear uncle can find a factory job for you," Wolf said, smirking. "OUT."

Andrew sniffled, and dashed away. Wolf watched from afar as they got their duffels (which were always packed for quick trips) and hurried to the portal generator. Moments later they were gone for good.

Wolf relaxed, and holstered his pistol. He turned as Mumbo approached.

"Wolf Man make up mind?" he asked. He then handed Wolf the googly-eyed rock. "Mumbo not like coffee in hangar."

Wolf gave it a moments more thought, wondering if he was completely mad for doing all of this, then nodded.

"I've made up my mind," he said. "We're in business. If you would, shaman, go tell the others to come on up and choose their quarters... Also, tell Kay-Tee to get busy in the kitchen. I'm starved."

Wolf looked at the rock in his hands, which he was fairly certain was glaring at him, and grinned wolfishly. _"This might just work out,"_ he thought.

*****

"Captain's log... I have a meeting with a prospective client today... I don't know what the job is, but at this point, any job is a good job."

Wolf frowned. He hated to admit it, but the team had been slowly going broke for some time. Andross hadn't needed them lately. Also, taking fewer and fewer illegal jobs had meant less and less denari was coming into the fund. Why fewer illegal jobs? Wolf hated to admit that, too... But the truth was, he had somehow developed a conscience. A small one, but a conscience nonetheless.

"Wolf Man?" a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Hmm? Oh... What is it, shaman?" Wolf said, seeing one of his new team members, Mumbo Jumbo.

"Mumbo finished work on Wolf Man's ship," the skull-faced shaman/mechanic said. "Mumbo get _Wolfen _purring like kitten." He paused then murmured, "...Wait."

Wolf smirked, but nodded.

"Good... I have a meeting in a couple of standard hours," he said, rising to his feet.

"Wolf Man want company?"

"No, it's best if I meet with this guy on my own... He's not so trusting of new people."

Wolf paused, looking at Mumbo. None of his old team members would have offered to go to a meeting with him. Then again, his old team members were rather afraid of him. Both Wolf and Mumbo knew good and well that the shaman could turn Wolf into a paperweight if he wanted to, and Wolf probably couldn't stop him.

Wolf glanced down at the rock paperweight on his desk. It had googly eyes, which were currently half closed, as if the rock were tired. Wolf snorted, thinking about the trouble making noob Mafefe, who Mumbo 'Eekum Bokum'-ed into a rock. Coming back to the present, Wolf said, "Tell the others I'll be back before dinner... And tell Kay-Tee to have something good prepared."

"Mumbo will," the shaman said, nodding. "Wolf Man have good flight."

With that he left, and Wolf grabbed his duffel off the bed nearby. He checked that his pistol had a fully charged power pack in it, and then checked the battery in his eyepiece. He was ready. Now... To make some money.

He was surprised with how well things had been going lately... Wolf had gotten rid of three annoying and useless team members, while gaining four very promising new recruits.

Mumbo had adjusted well to the team, taking over the mechanic position. He never spoke much about his home world, or the life he had left behind, but Wolf got the opinion that this was a _radical _departure for the shaman.

Kay-Tee had been true to his word when he said he could cook... The hyper young pilot was quite adept in the kitchen. He was also quite the jokester... And Wolf couldn't decide if that was a plus or not. He wasn't exactly Mr. Smiles-and-Laughter, after all... But he was lightening up... A little.

Arti was working dilligently on the security system, but he was sort of anti-social. He was rarely seen outside his mech-suit, or practicing in a Wolfen. But he was a good choice, Wolf decided, because, among other things, he upgraded the old security system to at least make noise when someone came in. (Their team budget was lousy.)

Dox had already left to 'spy on Star Fox', which Wolf doubted would amount to much. He imagined that Dox knew what he was doing, but, when it came to Fox McCloud, it was pretty hard to get away with anything like that.

"Boss, boss!" a strange voice called. "Guess what I found!"

Wolf turned as Lazlo approached him, carrying a glowing stone.

"What is it now?" he asked, sighing. This wasn't the first thing he'd dug up.

"I found this magic stone, boss! It either turns things to gold, or explodes... Not sure, yet. You want it?"

Wolf looked at him incredulously.

"Too big a risk for me, being team leader, but feel free to try it yourself," he said.

"Oh... Err... Right. Well, maybe I'll just keep digging!" Lazlo said, turning to walk away.

Wolf shook his head, and had started forward, to the hangar, when he stepped into a hole and fell flat on his face. Growling, Wolf struggled up.

"LAZLO!"

"Sorry, boss, but you should really watch your step," Lazlo called to him. He then hurried off out of sight.

"You little... ARGH!" Wolf exclaimed. "And I can't even fire him, because I never _hired _him!"

Dusting himself off, Wolf quickly made his way to his _Wolfen_. Soon he was seated in the ship, which to him was where he felt most comfortable. most confident. He hovered a few feet off the ground, and coasted out of the hangar. He then rose up through the air rapidly, before angling upward, and keying in the thrusters. Seconds later he was free of Venom's atmosphere, and with a flickering pseudomotion, he disappeared into hyperspace.

*****

Mumbo was walking past the room where the interviews had been held, when he heard thumps coming from inside. Curious, the shaman stepped into the room, his wand held tightly in his hand. He flicked on the light, and saw the room was completely empty. Yet, the thumping continued!

"Mumbo no like this," the shaman murmured. He made his way toward the closet in the back of the room, realizing the noises were coming from there. Cautiously Mumbo reached for the knob... And opened the door.

_*SNARLS*_

"EEKUM BOKUM!"

*****

When Wolf walked into the cantina, he smirked. They were all the same, and this one on Shelkonwa was no different. There was always a mix of races and species, sizes and shapes... Good, bad, and downright nasty.

"Wolf!" several people chorused, raising their glasses and bottles.

Wolf nodded at them, and headed to a table near the back. He sat down, as a small, balding man came up to him.

"What can I getcha, sir?" he asked.

"RC Cola," Wolf replied. "Make sure it's cold."

"Will do, Mr. O'Donnell," the man said, and scurried away.

Wolf let his eyes roam about the room, taking in the faces. He couldn't claim to know everyone one of them, but in his line of business, he saw all sorts of people. He didn't, however, see the person he was meeting. His contact in the Shelsha district was a shady sort, but he was reliable. He knew better than to cross Wolf.

"Hello, Wolf."

Wolf looked all around, jumping to his feet. He reached for his blaster as the sound of laughter reached his ears. No one was close enough, no one was paying much attention to him at all.

"Jumpy, aren't you?"

Suddenly, a figure appeared, sitting at the opposite side of the table.

Wolf glared, as he took his seat once more.

"Bartimaeus, you sneaky little-"

"You always come to me because I am the sneakiest person you know... Can I help it if I forget to become visible sometimes?" the young man said, grinning. He had special powers, that enabled him to become invisible and silent. In bright light, you could see his shadow, but in the cantina's dim light, he had been impossible to see.

"Do you have a job for me?" Wolf asked, calming. He should've expected a prank, he reasoned... He'd known Bartimaeus Uruk for several years now, and knew what kind of junk he liked to pull.

Just then, the man returned with Wolf's drink. Bartimaeus looked up at him and said, "Same, please." The man hurried away once more, and Bartimaeus turned his attention back to Wolf.

"Yes, I do... There's a guy I know who needs a certain shipment... Erm... Nudged in his general direction," he said, quietly. "He wants the shipment to disappear without much fuss, and reappear on his freighter. He'll pay 10,000 denari."

Wolf liked the sound of that number, but didn't let on.

"What's the shipment?" he asked, casually taking a sip of his drink.

"Roms," Bartimaeus replied. "_Illegal _roms."

"Like there's any other kind?" Wolf said, chuckling darkly. "All right... Give me the specifics."

Bartimaeus withdrew a datacard, which he slid across the table to Wolf.

"That has all the information you need," he said, keeping his hand on the card. "For the standard rate, of course."

Wolf frowned, as the man arrived with Bartimaeus' drink.

"That's not how we usually do things, Bart," he said a moment later. "Usually I pay you after I complete the job." That way, if Bartimaeus gave him a bad job, and Wolf got busted or worse, then at least Bartimaeus would get shafted for the money.

"New times, new procedures, Wolf," Bartimaeus said. "You know I wouldn't risk you killing me... I just need the money. Besides, it's a good job, with little chance of mishap."

Wolf grinded his teeth for a moment, his claws tracing along the edge of the table. He didn't like it when people changed things without warning. But... He'd done a bit of that himself lately. Certainly firing your old team, and replacing them with unknowns, was a lot worse than paying someone sooner rather than later.

Wolf shrugged.

"Fine," he said. "1,200 denari, wasn't it?"

"1,300," Bartimaeus corrected, with a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah..." Wolf reached into his pocket, and pulled out the money.

"Thank you."

Bartimaeus let go of the datacard, and accepted the payment, standing as he did so. Downing the rest of his drink, he gave Wolf a nod, and strode out of the cantina. Wolf watched him go, then shook his head. He shouldn't complain, he knew... He needed the money that this job would bring. 10 grand would buy some much needed equipment for the team.

He finished his drink, tossed a few denari on the table, and headed for the door. Minutes later he was back in his _Wolfen_. He popped the datacard into his onboard computer system, and the details of his next job came up on the display in front of him.

**Intercept the ship **_NinsonX _**enroute to Yavin IV. Deal with four person crew, and then pilot the **_NinsonX _**to freighter **_|_33+ Hacker_**, which will be orbiting nearby Yavin III. Dock, then transfer the **_NinsonX _**to your client, Master Seabee Em. You will then be paid 10,000 denari.**

The other details, such as exact times and coordinates, followed. Wolf frowned throughtfully.

_"Sounds simple... And we need the money... But why is it that the __**'deal with the four person crew'**__ part bothers me? Am I going soft?"_ Wolf shook his head, and started the _Wolfen_. Soon he was back in hyperspace once more.

_"Star Wolf HQ to Captain, come in Captain!"_ the comm sounded off.

"Wolf here, what's up?"

_"This is Arti... There's a bit of an issue here."_

"Like?"

_"Like... There's a guy here who says he's commandeering the team for his own nefarious scheme, which happens to be galactic domination."_

"Oh joy..." Wolf said, shaking his head. "Who is it this time? Don't tell me it's Andross."

_"Says his name is General Scales, actually..."_

"I think I've heard of him... But what gives? Can't you guys deal with him? He's only one person."

_"Yeah, he's only one person... Who brought about twenty underlings with him. He calls them 'SharpClaws'. I might be able to hold them off in my mech-suit, but I'd hate to see one of them get a hold of Kay-Tee... Talk about your pâté de foie gras to go. Or Lazlo... Smores much?"_

"Oh." Wolf was silent for a moment, as he suddenly remembered who Scales really was, then said, "Keep him entertained, I'll be there in one standard hour. Wolf, out." To himself he added, _"Why do all the would-be conquerors come to __**me**__?"_

_End of Chapter Two_


	3. General Ssscalesss

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

_Chapter Three : General Ssscalesss... _

_...and some divine intervention._

"Captain's log... I accepted what sounds like an easy job, but now there seems to be a dire situation at headquarters. I am enroute there now... Hopefully I will find my team well."

When Wolf landed at his base on Venom, he was surprised by how peaceful and quiet it seemed. With the way Arti had painted it, he expected there to be

trouble visible right away.

Wolf hadn't bothered to go in the hangar, he just parked in front of it. Climbing from his _Wolfen_, he quickly headed away from the hangar (remembering to hop over the hole), and toward the entrance of HQ. As the front doors swished open, he finally saw the first signs of Scales' presence.

"Ssstop! Who goesss there?" a SharpClaw demanded, rushing forward. Wolf would've dispatched of him, but there were four more behind him.

"The name's O'Donnell, and this is my headquarters," Wolf replied, glaring at the prehistoric menaces. "I imagine your boss is waiting for me?"

"He isss indeed," the SharpClaw said, nodding. "Pleassse... Follow me. I will take you to General Ssscalesss"

As they made their way down the hall, Wolf tried to look into some of the other rooms, to see if he could see his team members. However, he saw nothing, leading him to believe they had been locked away in their living quarters, presumably with guards watching them.

The SharpClaws led Wolf to the computer room, where a larger, more menacing SharpClaw, in military wear, stood waiting.

"Wolf O'Donnell, I presume?" he boomed, his voice more normal sounding than that of his cronies.

"The one and only. I'd offer you a chair, but I'm not sure you could fit in any of them." Wolf smirked, showing defiance that only he could muster at a time like this.

"You're just as I expected you to be," Scales said, in a tone that suggested distaste. "You're a cheap, common mercenary, who thinks he's one score away from owning the universe."

"Better than being a pompous windbag with scales," Wolf countered. "At least I still do pretty well with the ladies."

Scales looked at him for a moment, then laughed in a gravelly tone.

"O'Donnell, I have a proposition for you," he said at length. "I want your help in a little endeavor I have planned..."

"As long as you're holding my men and my headquarters hostage, I'm listening," Wolf said, with a shrug. He sat down in a nearby chair, showing casual disinterest, which irritated Scales even more.

"I intend to defeat Fox McCloud once and for all," the general told him. "I have an army behind me, and I cannot be stopped."

"Unlike before?"

"That was a miscalculation!" General Scales thundered. "I underestimated his abilities, and..." He trailed off, anger choking off his words.

"And, your ally stabbed you in the back," Wolf finished for him. "Lord Andross does that rather often."

"Yes, he did that to me, and for the last time," Scales said, composing himself slightly. "He's my next target, after I get revenge on McCloud."

Wolf rolled his eyes. First he was going to defeat Fox, then Andross...

"Who's next on your hit list... The Creator?" he asked, smirking.

"If need be," Scales replied.

"You're insane, Scales," Wolf said, shaking his head. "For one thing, you're not going to defeat McCloud so easily. And for another... Twenty SharpClaws have no chance against Andross."

"You think I am a fool? You think that I have shown all the weapons that I posess?"

"Haven't you?"

"I have an army of ten thousand SharpClaws at my disposal," General Scales told him, his yellow eyes glinting. "I also have several groups of renegades... Pirates and mercenaries... Pilots who have joined my cause, serving as my armada."

Wolf tried his best not to show his surprise. The kind of numbers that Scales was throwing around... Well, it wasn't exactly what he had in mind when he was making fun of him a few minutes ago.

"Where would I fit in, then? You seem to have plenty of troops..."

"You would lead the rogues," the general said, pacing back and forth now. "They're your kind of people, you understand them. And... You are the one of the best pilots in the galaxy."

Wolf nodded.

"That I am," he said. "So, what's your offer?"

"You will be the flight commander for my armada," Scales said, stopping to look at Wolf again. "You will get paid handsomely. And you will get to see the death of your greatest enemy."

"I want to be the one who puts an end to McCloud," Wolf said, frowning. "So here's my deal : You pay us 100,000 denari, up front. Me and my team take out Star Fox. I _personally _put an end to Fox McCloud. And then I lead your group of pilots against Andross... With another 300,000 denari after we win."

He expected spluttering indignation. He didn't get it.

"Deal," Scales said, offering him his large, taloned hand.

Wolf blinked, then shook the hand.

"When do we get our money?" he asked, somewhat surprised.

"I'll be back in one week with the money," General Scales replied, heading for the hallway. "Then you will carry through your end of the bargain."

"Right..."

"Until then... _Commander_ O'Donnell."

Wolf followed Scales and his group at a distance as they exited HQ, and went outside. Behind the hangar was a huge ship that Wolf hadn't noticed when he had arrived. The SharpClaws tromped up the boarding ramp, and a minute later the ship was vanishing into the hazy sky. Wolf exhaled, and shook his head.

"What the freak did I just do?" he murmured.

"Good question," said a voice behind him. "Mind cluing us in?"

Turning, Wolf found Articerile (his mech-suit semi-collapsed, which put him nearer to eye-level) and Kay-Tee (his egg stained apron not looking very menacing) standing behind him.

"Well, Arti... I got rid of him for now... That's the most important thing," Wolf said, hedging away from telling the whole story. "I do have some good news, though... We have a job."

"All right!" Kay-Tee said, bouncing about excitedly. "What is it? Where are we going? What do we do? When?!?"

"Chill, kid, chill," Wolf said, smirking. "We have to... acquire control of a certain ship in the Yavin system, and take it to our... client. Nothing big, but we're getting 10,000 denari."

"Cool!" said Kay-Tee.

"What about Scales?" Arti insisted.

"He's... Gone for now," Wolf said. "He might come back." Before Arti could ask another question, Wolf asked one. "Where's the shaman?"

"He's... Actually... I don't know," Kay-Tee said, unsuredly. "Arti?"

"I haven't seen him since before Scales arrived... I think he was headed to the hangar, though."

Wolf turned and walked into the huge entrance of the hangar, with Kay-Tee and Arti right behind him.

"Hey, shaman! You in here?" he called.

"Mumbo back here, working on Art Man's G-Diffusor," Mumbo called back.

Somewhat relieved, Wolf and the others made their way to the back of the hangar, where they found Mumbo working on a Wolfen for Arti.

"Scales didn't find you, eh?" Wolf asked.

"What Wolf Man mean? Mumbo not know of a scaley person here."

"Nevermind," Wolf said. "I just-"

He broke off as a small purple shape bounded up to him. He pulled his blaster, but Mumbo pushed his arm away.

"Stop! Wolf Man no shoot new team mascot!" he said.

Wolf holstered his blaster, and looked down at the purple cat. It meowed, and looked up at him, as if wanting a pet. Wolf frowned. Something was oddly familiar about this cat...

"Where'd this cat come from, Mumbo?" he asked.

"Mumbo hear strange noises in closet. Mumbo open door, and get jumped by very angry Purple Cat Man. Mumbo have to do quick spell work. Now team have mascot!" the shaman reached down to give the cat a pet. "Purple Cat Man come out of closet a lot friendlier... wait."

Arti and Kay-Tee snickered, but Wolf just sighed and walked away. He had wondered when Panther would manage to get free... But he'd forgotten to check before he left that day. He had to admit, though, having a shaman was handy... What better way for Panther to spend the rest of his days than as a mascot?

Wolf didn't go back inside the HQ, instead he walked down toward a cliff that overlooked a very deep ravine. He sat down a rock there, and thought about his plans.

Did he really intend to kill his nemesis Fox McCloud? That had been his intention all along, hadn't it? It had even been the motivation behind getting a new team together. But now... Now that he was being offered a significant amount of money to take his new team and finally defeat Fox for good... He wasn't sure he could do it.

The mighty Wolf O'Donnell, scourge of the galaxies, the ultimate villain... Couldn't bring himself to kill someone he hated.

But his new conscience wasn't the real problem... No, the real problem was General Scales. He was utterly mad. Yet, he was equipped well enough to do serious damage._ "How in the worlds am I going to get out of this mess?" _Wolf wondered. _"I don't suppose there's a glacier's chance in Hades of getting a little divine intervention, eh, Creator?"_

*****

"Captain's log... I have a dilemma, and I could sure use a little guidance. I just promised General Scales, a nutjob and wouldbe world conqueror, that I would lead his armada against Andross... After first killing Fox McCloud and stopping Star Fox once and for all. Even if I could kill Fox, which I'm embarrassed to admit I'm having real doubts about, there's little chance that Scales can defeat Andross. Not with the advances Andross has apparently made."

Wolf tossed aside the recorder, thinking about Andross latest supposed efforts to rebuild his armies. Little did anyone know, but the effort was going quite well... At least those were the rumors Andrew was spreading. Wolf had dreamed of taking the tyrant down himself, but even he knew there was little chance of it, were the rumors true.

Oh, sure, someone wily and tenacious (like himself, or Fox) might be able to get lucky and defeat Andross head to head... But getting past his new army was going to be nigh impossible. Scales had a ragtag group of pilots, and a force of SharpClaws, and while it sounded formidable, Andross could apparently match those numbers twice over at least.

Wolf had a feeling that Scales was just crazy enough to get them all killed... Wolf's team included. He needed an idea, a plan... Or some outside help.

Suddenly a bright light filled Wolf's quarters. He jumped to his feet, squinting his eyes and reaching for his blaster, but he could see nothing but white. There was a blast of air, which pushed Wolf backwards, back into his chair. Finally, the light faded, and Wolf blinked his blurry eyes. There was a glowing figure standing before him. He couldn't make out his features, but he thought it was a man.

"Who are you?" Wolf asked.

"Divine intervention..." the figure replied, chuckling. "But you can call me D..."

"D. Right."

"Listen, I haven't much time, but I wanted to tell you something that I think will help you..." D said. The light that was all around him still hid him from view, so Wolf gave up trying to scrutinize his face.

"You can help me?" he asked slowly.

"Yes... Someone upstairs thinks you're redeemable, Wolf O'Donnell, and it's partially my job to help you find redemption..." D said. "Before it's too late..."

Wolf swallowed hard, but nodded.

"I'm listening," he murmured.

"Good... Now, you may already have an idea on what to do... I sent one of my fellow divine messengers here recently, to give you some information... His name is Josh... Is he here?"

Wolf thought for a moment, then winced.

"Oh yeah... Err... Well, I sent him away, actually," he said, looking away.

D sighed.

"I assumed as much, but I had hoped that you might give him a chance..." he said, shrugging. "Well, I'll have to just give you the quick version, and hope you make it work." D paused, leaning his glowing form against a nearby wall. "You may be currently conflicted on what you should do..."

"Yes."

"Well, I'm going to try and help you make up your mind..." D said. "I can't tell you what to do, however... All I can say is this : Sometimes we must make mistakes, so we can see what is wrong to do... In other words, doing the wrong thing can sometimes help us see what the right thing is, soon enough to redeem ourselves... Do you understand?"

"Err, maybe," Wolf said, shifting in his seat. "You're saying I should kill Fox, and help Scales?"

D sighed again.

"Is that all you have to do? Or is there something else on your plate?" he asked.

"Well, I... Oh. Yeah. The shipment of roms." Wolf frowned. "Is that important?"

"It was the first thing on your agenda, am I right? And it's also not necessarily the right thing to do, wouldn't you say?"

"I guess," Wolf said, nodding. "Yeah. It was something we were going to do before Scales came back. And, I reckon by divine standards, stealing roms to sell to a thief is not exactly the right thing to do." He paused. "So you're telling me I should go ahead and do that?"

"I'm saying the wrong thing to do would be to begin the mission."

Wolf was somewhat annoyed... Why didn't this guy just give him a straight answer? But, mulling it over, he realized what D meant.

"So... I should do the wrong thing, and begin the mission, but somewhere along the way, the right thing will make itself clear to me?" he asked.

"I believe you have it. Now... I must be going. Good luck, Wolf O'Donnell..." With that, D begin to fade away, right before Wolf's eyes. Wolf faintly heard him add, "Oh... And if you see Josh again, don't dismiss him so quickly... He can be quite helpful." And then he was gone.

Wolf stared at the wall for about three minutes, then got to his feet. He might be going crazy... But this was the closest thing he'd had to guidance since this mess started, and he was going to take it.

Grabbing his comm link, Wolf said, "Team Star Wolf... Meet in the computer room ASAP." He then headed there himself.

Five minutes later, his group was assembled.

"I'm ready to share the details of our mission with you," Wolf said, popping the datacard into a nearby computer module, and watching the mission specifics come up on the screen before them. "As you can see, we-"

"BOSS, BOSS!"

"Freaking heck, if that's Lazlo with another stupid thing he's dug up, I'll..." Wolf trailed off as Dox ran into the room, looking flustered.

"Boss, I'm back!" Dox said, grinning. "And I have news!"

Wolf blinked. Back? Had Dox went anywhere? _"Oh... Right... He was spying on McCloud," _he thought. He nodded at Dox and said, "Let's hear it, Spy."

Dox looked like the lynx that had eaten the canary, so proud was he of his apparent discovery.

"Well, Wolfy-"

"No nicknames. Ever."

"Sorry... Erm... Well, _sir_, I was spying on Star Fox's base, as I said I would," Dox went on hurriedly, "And to be honest, the whole thing seemed full of epic fail."

"Star Fox's base?"

"No, my plan to spy on them."

"That's because it _was _full of epic fail, just like you," Kay-Tee said, snickering, reaching over to elbow Arti.

"Well... Your face is full of epic fail!" Dox countered.

"No yours!"

"SHUT UP!" Wolf thundered. "Dox, get on with it."

Dox meekly nodded, as Kay-Tee coughed, and Arti chuckled.

"Anyway, so I was outside the base, when all of a sudden, this ship shows up," Dox went on. "A rather strange group... Five beings in total... Got out and went inside the base. I snuck closer, trying to get a good look at them, but it didn't do me much good. Actually, I got caught."

"Some spy," Kay-Tee muttered, then cringed as Wolf glared at him.

"Who caught you?" Wolf inquired, turning back to Dox and frowning.

"The pilot for those people," Dox said. "He saw me sneak up to the base, and got out to see what I was up to." He paused and grinned. "Turns out, though, he was an old friend of mine!"

"Who was it?" Arti asked.

"Kain Frederick. He I go back a ways," Dox said. "So, he wasn't about to turn me in. We talked for a little bit, and he told me who his passengers were. There was this short human guy dressed in blue... His name was Icis Mazza. Then there were the Jinnore brothers, Gled and Grye. I dunno what species or race they were, but they were the oddest of the lot. Anyway, then there was this organic droid person called SUB36. And finally, there was a human woman, named Mandara. She's the Queen of Pixelania, Kain told me. They were all important people, apparently."

When Dox paused for breath, Wolf asked, "What were they doing on Corneria, at McCloud's base?"

"Well, Kain wasn't sure exactly, but he thought he had overheard them talking about Andross," Dox said. "He also said they would be there for a while. He promised to keep an eye and ear open for anything interesting, and then holomessage me if he found out anything."

Wolf was thoughtful for a moment, then managed a smile.

"You did good, Dox," he said, nodding. "You got us an inside source on Corneria."

"Thanks, sir!"

"Now... As I was saying, we have a job... And if you'll all glance at the screen, you'll see the specifics," Wolf said, motioning behind him. "I have to check on something, if you'll excuse me."

He headed out of the room, but he was only part way down the hall when hurried footsteps behind him caused him to stop.

"Wolf Man," Mumbo said as he reached him, "Mumbo not so sure about this." He had been uncharacteristically silent during the discussion.

"About what?"

"Mumbo no mind working on ships, and Eekum Bokum-ing annoying people now and then... But Mumbo not a thief. If Mumbo want to be, Mumbo would be best thief in universe, no doubt. But Mumbo no want to be."

Wolf looked at the skull-faced shaman long and hard. How could he explain all of this to him?

"Mumbo... I..." he trailed off, because he didn't know what to say. Then, something came to him. "Why don't you stay behind, then? We'll handle the job, and you can man the comm station, in case this Kain person calls in."

Mumbo thought it over, and then nodded.

"Mumbo okay with that," he said. "But, Wolf Man should think about going straight. Being hero better than being villain."

"Yeah... I'll think about it," Wolf said, turning to walk away. Could he really do that? Could he be a hero? This job would tell the tale, he supposed. If he could see what he was supposed to do, like D had told him... Then maybe he could turn things around... Before it _was _too late.

_End of Chapter Three_


	4. Battle for the NinsonX pt1

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

_Chapter Four : Battle for the __**NinsonX**__ (part 1)._

"Captain's log... We are heading out in a few minutes, on an intercept course with the _NinsonX_ outside of Yavin IV. It shouldn't be hard to take... I can't imagine that the four person crew will put up much of a fight. Who steals shipments of illegal roms, these days?"

_"Master SeaBee Emm, for one,"_ Wolf thought, putting down the recorder. _"I thought the days of the CoDi Hackers had long since passed, but there's at least one who's apparently willing to steal to continue his dark practices."_ Wolf shrugged, and headed out of his base, toward the hangar.

"Wolf Man no worry, Mumbo hold down fort," Mumbo called from the doorway.

"If that Kain guy should send a holomessage, be sure to comm me right away," Wolf tossed over his shoulder.

As Wolf entered the hangar, he was surprised to find that one of the Wolfens had seemingly mutated.

_"This isn't a Transformers fan fic, what gives?"_ Wolf thought. Hurrying forward, he called out, "What's this supposed to be?"

From the cockpit of what was left of the Wolfen (which had now sprouted limbs), Articerile gave a wave.

"I did a little tweaking on it, and Mumbo helped," he said. "Whaddaya think?"

"What the freak is it?" Wolf asked, scratching his head.

"Watch."

Apparently the vehicle was between transformations, because before Wolf's eyes the arms and legs of the mech withdrew inside the craft, and the Wolfen hovered above the floor of the hangar, looking almost normal again. It was bulkier, but still looked fast. Then, before Wolf could comment, the Wolfen tipped back, and the arms and legs extended once more. The wings retracted, and the cockpit slid forward. Now it was back to looking like a mech suit... With a folded up Wolfen on it's back.

"So?"

"I gotta hand it to ya, Arti... It's pretty good," Wolf said, shaking his head. "But how are you going to get through doors now?" He knew Arti went almost nowhere without his mech suit, but it didn't seem like he could collapse it enough to maneuver indoors anymore.

"Got that covered too, boss," Arti replied.

Wolf watched as the cockpit detached from the main mech, with a smaller set of limbs supporting it. Arti climbed down, with a small, manageable mech-suit at his disposal.

"You and the shaman never cease to amaze me," Wolf said, with a chuckle. "Reassemble that thing, and get into Wolfen mode." He paused, then asked, "What do you call it, anyway?"

"Well, I was thinking about _Optimus Prime_."

"Don't even go there..."

"Fine... _XV-88 Destroyer Wolfen-Mech_, then."

Wolf nodded, then turned to walk over to his ship. He climbed up on the wing, and checked his gear in the storage compartment. Kay-Tee and Dox hurried in, carrying their duffels. Kay-Tee dropped down into the cockpit of his ship, the _Kazolfen_. Dox scrambled up into the _Paradoxen_. Arti was back in Wolfen mode, so that left Wolf.

He dropped down into the seat, the cockpit cover came down, and at his touch the original _Wolfen_ roared to life. Wolf slipped his headset on, and checked the computer readouts. Everything was good, so he said, "Gold Leader, to Star Wolf pilots, check in."

_"This is Red One, ready to go,"_ Arti responded.

_"Red Two, ready,"_ came Kay-Tee's slightly nervous, but excited, reply.

_"Red Three, online,"_ said Dox.

"Let's lock and load... Here we go!"

The four Wolfens hovered forward, left the hangar, gained speed, and the shot off into the sky.

*****

Mumbo sighed, watching them disappear from view. He actually wished he'd decided to go, now... Flying off into space, with an exciting mission to complete. So what if someone wanted some illegal roms. But, he supposed it was too late now...

Or was it?

Mumbo made up his mind. He ran as fast as he could toward the hangar. Then he skidded to a halt.

"Mumbo forget that K Man call need to be heard by someone," he muttered. Looking around, he spied his answer. "Mallow Man! Mumbo need help!"

Lazlo looked up from his digging in surprise, then hurried over.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Mumbo need Mallow Man to wait by comm," Mumbo said, hurriedly. "Go to computer room, and wait for call from K Man. If call comes, comm Wolf Man in ship."

"Right, got it!" Lazlo said, dashing away toward the base entrance.

Mumbo quickly made his way into the hangar, and to his ship, the _Nutsen_. He climbed into the cockpit, and the lid came down. However, Mumbo was distracted, and wasn't watching carefully. He had put his wand down on the arm of his seat, but the skull head on the end of it was poking just outside the edge of the cockpit.

The lid came down and cracked the small skull completely in two! Mumbo didn't notice, and moments later, he was in the air. As he left the surface of Venom, it dawned on him that he didn't have the coordinates to Yavin IV.

"Oh well... Mumbo find it... Can't be too many planets from here to there."

The grave consequences of his lack of attention wouldn't be discovered until later...

*****

"Clearing hyperspace... Now! Disengage!" Wolf ordered. "There's Yavin IV... The _NinsonX_ should be on the other side."

The four Wolfens moved together, in an arcing path that would circle the planet.

_"I've never been in this area of space before,"_ Kay-Tee commented. _"What kind of people are here?"_

"All kinds," Wolf said simply. "The universe isn't as segregated as it used to be... Everyone is pretty much everywhere."

_"What about this Master SeaBee Emm?"_ Arti asked. _"I've heard some funny things about those CoDi Hackers."_

"They're practically extinct," Wolf replied. "This guy's an eccentric... An obsessor... I dunno. But it doesn't matter. We're here to do a job." He paused, then said, "But listen up, you lot, and listen good. No one, and I mean no one, makes a move before I do. You follow my lead, and my lead only, understand?"

_"10-4..."_

_"Yes, sir."_

_"Crystal clear, boss."_

"Good..." said Wolf. He didn't like any of this... Why couldn't D have been more specific? All he could do was play this by ear, and see what would happen. "The _NinsonX _should be visible in ten minutes."

_"Erm... That may be, but I'm registering something a lot closer," _Arti's voice came through._ "Check your radar."_

Wolf set his display to scan, and immediately the ship that Arti had seen was on his screen.

"That's about the right size for our target ship, but... It shouldn't be there," he said, perplexed. "And even if it was, it would be heading the opposite direction."

_"I think it's running, sir,"_ Dox interjected. _"It's picking up speed, and... Yes, there's two, no, make that three blips on it's tail."_

Wolf muttered an oath under his breath. What was _this _all about?

"Circle out, I'm going in for a closer look," he ordered. "Wait for my signal."

The other three banked away from him, as Wolf angled his ship on an intercept course... Not with the freighter, but with the three bogies it had picked up. He was hoping to get a read on them with his computer, and find out who they were. He was getting negative results so far... They had to be brand new ships, modded to carry no data signals. Wolf only wished they could afford such a thing... Especially when his radio crackled to life.

_"Well, well, well... What have we here?"_

_"Hey, what are you doing here?!? UNCLE ANDROSS!"_

_"Quiet, you fool!"_

Wolf rolled his eyes. Leon and Andrew... He should've guessed.

"If it isn't my old traveling buddies," he said. "Tell me... Would you like to die quickly? Or are you going to make this harder on yourselves?"

_"You can't speak to me like that! I am the great Leon!"_ Leon exclaimed.

_"Yeah, and we got new ships, too!"_ Andrew threw in with a laugh, his confidence returning. _"Not to mention, a brand new partner!"_

"Yeah, who is your quiet little friend, there?" Wolf asked, circling out again, careful not to get his back to the trio.

_"My name is Pinkbull..." _said a strange voice._ "And I am going to kill you, to avenge my cousin's death..."_

"Oh, really? And who was your cousin?"

_"Pigma."_

"Pigma?!?" Wolf spluttered. "That swine deserved whatever he got!" He paused, then added, "Besides, I didn't actually kill him... McCloud did."

_"You helped him, O'Donnell... And you will pay for that,"_ Pinkbull rasped.

_"We're going to start by taking the __**NinsonX**__ right out from under your nose," _Leon added, pompously.

"Good luck with that," Wolf said. "It's going to be hard seeing as the odds are four against three, in my favor. Team Star Wolf, regroup! Attack formation! Follow my lead!"

Arti, Dox, and Kay-Tee were there in a flash, and Wolf felt quietly confident. That is, until he heard laughter coming over the comm from his enemies.

_"You really are naieve,"_ Pinkbull said, sounding amused._ "Do you think we three came on our own? Look behind you, O'Donnell."_

Wolf did a quick half-loop, and his eyes widened.

"Oh, crap... Star Wolf, defensive formation!" he yelled into his comm link. "Arti, is there anything you can do about blocking them out of our radios?"

There were four more ships closing in fast, apparently of the same make as Pinkbull and company's ships. This wasn't good... This tipped the odds in the enemy's favor drastically. Seven against four was _really _uneven.

_"I dunno, boss, that's not really my area of expertise..."_ Arti responded tersely.

_"I can do it, sir!"_ Kay-Tee chimed in. _"I did this sort of thing in Special Ops..."_

_"Special Ops? You were in Special Ops, Kay-Tee?"_ Dox interjected, in surprise.

_"Well, I-"_

"Enough unecessary chatter!" Wolf thundered. "Kay-Tee, jam their radios, block our signal from them, whatever you can do! I don't need them listening to everything we're saying."

_"I was beginning to enjoy it," _Pinkbull said, laughing evilly. _"Never mind, though. I'll have even more fun killing you. Team Iron Claw, attack!"_

"Oh, crap..." Wolf muttered again, swinging his ship around once more.

_"You already said that once... There could be kids reading this, y'know,"_ Kay-Tee cautioned.

_"No breaking the fourth wall, bird-brain!" _Dox countered.

_"I was just-... Hey! I got it!"_ Kay-Tee exclaimed, as the rival team's laughter suddenly broke off. _"I blocked them out!"_

"Good!" said Wolf, but really, he couldn't see what was good about any of this. They were crucially out-numbered. He'd fought some tough odds before, but this was freaking ridiculous. He was leading a team of three people that he'd never been in battle with before, against two known threats, and five unknown threats.

_"Thanks a lot, Mr. Intervention,"_ Wolf thought, with sarcasm. _"If this was supposed to be my wakeup call, then why is the alarm clock trying to kill me?"_ Shaking his head, he said, "Let them get close, then try to loop around behind them. If we can take out a couple of them out quick, we'll have a better chance of living."

_"10-4."_

_"S-sure."_

_"Right."_

Wolf sighed. He had a very bad feeling about this...

_End of Chapter Four_


	5. Battle for the NinsonX pt2

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

_Chapter Five : Battle for the __**NinsonX**__ (pt. 2)._

Things went from bad to worse in a hurry. Arti, Dox, and Kay-Tee picked up a bogie within seconds... Andrew was after Kay-Tee, and two of the unknown arrivals were after Dox and Arti. Wolf himself had picked up two bogies... Pinkbull and Leon.

But what about the other two unknown pilots? Wolf was spinning his ship, banking this way and that, trying to shake at least one of his pursuers. He was keeping an eye on his teammates, too, occasionally shouting a warning when a shot came close to one of them. Even with all of that, Wolf found a few seconds to see that the _NinsonX _was taking fire from the other two enemy ships.

And that's when it hit him. He knew what he had to do... What he was meant to do... But now the question was could he do it?

"Time to lose Leon," Wolf murmured, gritting his teeth. He'd flown with Leon long enough to know what the lizard-man could handle, and what he couldn't. Jamming the brakes, Wolf plunged downward, swerved right, and did a half-loop. Pinkbull, as Wolf had expected, quickly looped away, but Leon was crossing right in front of Wolf's nose, and right in his sights.

"'Bye, 'bye, lizard."

Wolf grinned as he put down twin lines of lazer blasts along the side of Leon's ship. Leon tried to bank away from him, but that only exposed the underside of his ship, and Wolf continued blasting away. One of the wings broke in the middle, and flew off, causing Leon to spin uncontrollably, dropping quickly from sight. His ship was smoking badly, and Wolf doubted he'd make it back to where he came from.

"Not bad, now where-"

*BANG-BANG-BANG*

Wolf's ship shuddered as blasterfire ripped into it from behind. He'd been so focused on disabling Leon that he had forgotten about Pinkbull.

_"Do a barrell roll!" _Kay-Tee shouted over the comm.

"Shut up!" Wolf countered, though he followed the advice, deflecting the rest of the shots. He then looped around, trying to get behind Pinkbull, but to no avail.

"This guy's good," Wolf murmured. He continued banking, looping, braking, diving, rolling, and boosting, throwing everything he could at Pinkbull. All he managed to do was keep from being shot.

His maneuvers brought him close to Dox at one point, and he took advantage of the moment to fire a few shots at the spy's pursuer. The unknown pilot banked away, not wanting to follow Leon's example and depart early.

_"Thanks, boss,"_ Dox said tersely.

"Don't mention it, just don't let him get behind you again," Wolf replied, continuing his random movements, with Pinkbull always just a little ways behind him.

Arti's pursuer was discovering just how resourceful the robotics expert was.

_"Eat ionic charges,"_ he spat out, as his rear-mounted laser cannon fired sporadically. After taking a couple of glancing shots, his shadow broke off to regroup.

_"ARGH, I'm hit!" _Kay-Tee said suddenly. _"I've got a damaged right wing! What should I do?"_

Wolf tried to work his way across to Kay-Tee, but Pinkbull was doing his best to pin him down a good distance away from there. He didn't know what to say to the pilot/chef, but he knew he wanted the kid to fight another day.

"Send a distress message to that ship over there," Wolf ordered. "See if they'll open the cargo bay, if only for a moment, and let you in." He paused, then said, "Make it clear that we're helping them fight off these pirates... Understood?"

_"Err... Sure, whatever you say, boss,"_ Kay-Tee responded. He was doing his best to keep from taking another hit, angling his wounded _Kazolfen _toward the _NinsonX_.

Fortunately, Arti zoomed onto the scene and let loose a torrent of blasterfire on Kay-Tee's assailant. Wolf was only slightly surprised to see him bank after the pilot as he tried to escape. He was more surprised to see the charged shot he was lining up.

"Arti, what-"

*KRAKABOOM*

_"Target destroyed, Gold Leader,"_ Arti replied. _"Will provide cover fire for Red Two."_

Wolf sighed. He didn't know who was in that ship, but Articerile had shot to kill... Something Wolf wasn't sure he was prepared to do right now. But this was a matter of life and death... He couldn't reprimand Arti for doing his job.

"Roger that, stay frosty out there, boys," Wolf said. He'd been so caught up in watching what his team was doing that Pinkbull had nearly blown him to molecules a moment before. He returned to his fairly-absurd maneuvers, waiting for a moment to make something happen.

_"__**NinsonX **__has replied," _Kay-Tee said. _"I have a one minute timeframe to slip into the cargo bay. Sorry, boss. Red Two, out."_

"10-4, Red Two... And don't worry." Wolf paused, then said, "Red One and Red Three, draw attention from the _Kazolfen _and the _NinsonX _while Kay-Tee makes his landing."

_"Copy that."_

_"Yeah, sure, why not?"_

Wolf couldn't keep his eyes on the scene for more than a split second at a time, but he saw Kay-Tee's ship disappear into the cargo bay of the _NinsonX_, and the doors shut behind him.

"Red Two clear, return to attack maneuvers. Actually... Strike that. Stick close together, and circle the permiter."

One enemy had fled, and one enemy was space junk. That left five enemy ships... One, Pinkbull of course, was glued to Wolf. Two were trying to get back on Arti's and Dox's trails again, but were too afraid of that rear-mounted cannon to get too close. The other two pilots were making strafing runs on the _NinsonX_, trying to disable it. They'd missed Kay-Tee as he darted into the cargo bay, thankfully. That wouldn't do him much good, though, if they blasted the _NinsonX_ to bits.

"I gotta dump this guy, and fast," Wolf murmured. And then, a plan came to him. "Red One... Arti. You think you could go into mech-form out here? That thing got flight power when you sprout the arms and legs?"

_"Affirmative, Gold Leader," _Arti replied. _"What's the idea?"_

"Land on the roof of the cargo bay on the _NinsonX_, in mech-form," Wolf instructed. "With any luck, bully-boy won't see you. I'll make a straight run over the ship. He'll be dead on my tail, I'm pretty positive, and I want you to take him out. You'll probably only have one shot, so make it count."

He was getting dizzy from going in circles, anyway... Risking his life in a mad dash, so long as it was a straight one, seemed worth it.

"Red Three, when Arti lands, those two other pilots will probably make a beeline for you... All I can say is, keep zig-zagging and rolling until I can circle back."

_"Right, Gold Leader,"_ said Dox, swallowing hard (and audibly).

"Here goes..."

Wolf banked one last time, then straightened his course, his path heading directly for the _NinsonX_. He nailed the thrusters, picking up speed. Pinkbull wasn't quite expecting this, so intent was he on preparing for the next diving spin, or braking swerve. He was a bit behind, but quickly used the boost to give chase.

No one else could hear him, but as he tightened his finger around the trigger, he said, _"This is where you die, Wolf O'Donnell." _How wrong he was.

It was like they had practiced it, the plan went so well. As Wolf shot by overhead, Arti (in mech-form) had to take down Pinkbull. He had thought quickly about what to use... He had laser cannons, and a grenade launcher... But something else came to mind, and he went with it. As Pinkbull flew by overhead, completely unaware of what was below him, Arti leaped upward, and grabbed the left wing of Pinkbull's ship.

His mech arm had unbelievable strength, and he was able to slightly divert the course of the ship, also turning it completely sideways. This might not sound like it did much, but the result was surprising.

Pinkbull's ship lunged to the left, with the left wing turning downward. Pinkbull barely registered this before he made contact with the edge of the _NinsonX_, and it snapped the wing completely off. His ship lurched again, in the opposite direction, catching the right wing along the sturdy (and semi-shielded) outer wall of the ship, tearing it off as well.

Now his wingless ship spun like a cork in a whirlpool, and he had no control, whatsoever. Wolf had veered around, and was watching with delight. That is, until he saw where Pinkbull's ship was headed... The control bridge of the _NinsonX_.

"No!" he exclaimed, boosting forward, trying to get there, but knowing he'd never make it.

Then a remarkable thing happened. Flying onto the scene, with two bogies on his tail, Dox was moving at top speed. He was headed for Pinkbull's ship...

"Red Three, what are you-"

Before he even finished the sentence, Dox had dived low, and clipped Pinkbull's ship with the nose of his own _Paradoxen_. It was a glancing blow, and with his shield relatively intact, it did minimal damage. It also sent the wingless (and crashing) ship flipping up and over the control bridge!

Matter of fact, it sent it directly into the path of the two ships that were still bombarding the far side of the _NinsonX_. Wolf winced as Pinkbull's ship barreled into the one on the right... And he cringed as the resulting explosion vaporized all three ships.

Dox did a half-loop, and spiralled away from the _NinsonX_'s command bridge, regrouping with Wolf as he flew over the ship.

"That was the craziest, stupidest, most erratic thing I have ever seen, Red Three!" Wolf thundered into the comm link. Dox stayed silent, which allowed Wolf to take a breath and add, "It was also pretty freaking amazing. Good work."

_"Thank you, Gold Leader," _Dox replied.

"You too, Red One," Wolf went on. "You saved my neck, Arti, I owe you."

_"Easy as cake, sir."_

_"The cake is a lie," _Dox interjected.

"All right, enough chatter, there's still two ships out there, and-" Wolf was cut off as the sound of heavy laser-cannon fire sounded from nearby. It was coming from the _NinsonX_!

The blasts caught one of the ships full force, annihilating it. The other ship, Andrew's, was hit with enough force to damage both the wings, and kill the thrusters. Wolf watched as the ship flipped end over end twice, then landed on it's belly, directly outside the cargo bay doors. If the engines hadn't been killed, it would've exploded, but they were, and Andrew had managed to luck out, assuming he had survived the first blast... And the landing, of course.

_"__**NinsonX **__to Star Wolf Captain, do you copy?"_

"Loud and clear, _NinsonX_, this is Captain Wolf O'Donnell," Wolf replied. "Is our pilot okay in there?"

_"Fine, Captain O'Donnell, just fine... Matter of fact, he was the one manning the guns, a moment ago."_

Wolf smirked... The kid really had something to boast about now.

"We're coming in, can you open the docking bay?" he asked.

_"Affirmative, Captain, come on down. Also, we're sending someone out to collect the pilot of the downed ship... If he's alive."_

"10-4 on that, _NinsonX_," said Wolf. To his teammates he added, "Let's go, you two."

Arti and Dox followed Wolf as he flew into the docking bay, and they all landed inside with a feeling of relief. Arti and Dox were wondering what happened now, as they were meant to steal this ship and take it to Master SeaBee Emm. But they would follow Wolf's lead, as he had said. Wolf had the makings of a plan in his head... He hoped he was doing the right thing.

A man came up to them as they exited their ships.

"Hello, I'm the pilot of this ship," he said, extending a hand to Wolf. "I'm P. G. Pym, but you can call me Pablo."

"Wolf O'Donnell," Wolf replied, shaking the man's hand. "How's your ship? Did you take much damage?"

"Enough," Pym replied, nodding. "We need some repairs, for sure. But, if it hadn't been for you and your team, we'd be dead right now. Thank you, Captain O'Donnell."

"Don't mention it."

"If you'll come this way, your teammate is waiting," Pym said, turning and heading through a door.

"BOSS!" Kay-Tee yelled out, as they entered the room. "Whatcha think of that shooting?"

Wolf chuckled, shaking his head.

"That was pretty good work, kid," he replied. "Pretty good."

As Dox, Arti, and Kay-Tee greeted one another, and traded stories, Wolf turned to Pym and said, "I'd like to meet the rest of your crew, and then assess the damages. We have a friend waiting for us off of Yavin III who might be able to help out."

Pym nodded.

"Thank you, that would be great!" he said. "I'll get my crew... There's only four of us here. Wait here, I'll be right back."

Wolf watched the man go, then glanced back at his own group.

"No one does or says anything without the go-ahead from me, understood?" he said.

They all nodded, and asked no questions... Except for Kay-Tee.

"Are we still taking this ship to Master SeaBee Emm?" he whispered.

Wolf frowned.

"Yeah... But maybe not for the original purpose..." he murmured.

_End of Chapter Five_


	6. Making a Plan

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

_Chapter Six : Making a plan..._

"Captain's log... We're aboard the _NinsonX_, meeting with Pablo G. Pym and crew. I haven't yet decided what to do about 'the job'. I have a nagging idea, but I'm not sure I like it. Who am I? What am I becoming? I dunno anymore..."

Wolf, Dox, Kay-Tee, and Arti were sitting at a table when Pablo returned with his three crew members.

"Sorry for the delay," he said, "We were tending to the downed pirate."

"How's he doing?" Wolf asked.

"Well, he'll live," Pablo said, with a shrug. "We can't be sure what might be wrong with him, though... We don't have sophisticated medical equipment aboard this ship. But there doesn't seem to be anything life-threateningly wrong with him."

"Mmm," Wolf said, nodding. "I'll look in on him later..."

"Whenever you like, Captain," Pablo replied. "Now, let me introduce my crew... Zack Vee, El Boton, and Mac Banno."

Wolf motioned toward his team.

"This is Arti, Dox, and Kay-Tee," he said. "We're a... Err..."

"Team of mercenaries," Pablo finished for him. "Yes, I know. You think I haven't heard of Wolf O'Donnell and Star Wolf?"

Wolf frowned, and exchanged glances with his teammates. He wasn't sure where this guy was going with this, but if they were going to have to fight their way out, it might get messy.

"We know you take on jobs of questionable legality," Pablo went on. "But, the fact of the matter remains... You saved us. We were taking damages, our weapons were offline-"

"Wait, what? They were firing pretty good earlier," Wolf interjected.

"I had to do a quick repair on the operating system, boss," Kay-Tee explained. "It was a fried terminal, but I had it fixed in a jiffy."

"Yeah, it surprised the heck outta me how fast he got it fixed," Mac Banno said. "'Course, that's Zack's area of expertise, but he couldn't do anything to help."

Zack glared at Mac, but said nothing. El Boton spoke up, however, saying, "That was some great flying out there."

Dox shrugged, taking on a pompous looking pose.

"That's what we do," he said.

Arti (in his indoor mech-suit) gave Dox a jab, throwing him off balance, and getting Kay-Tee snickering. Wolf rolled his eyes, and looked back at Pablo.

"I'd be obliged if you could take me to see the pilot you rescued," he said. "And then you and I can have a talk."

Pablo nodded, and motioned for Wolf to follow him. As they walked down the corridor, he said, "The pilot is in and out of consciousness, but we haven't been able to get his name."

"Andrew... Andrew Oikonny," Wolf told him. "He used to work for me."

"Oh, I see... Well, he's in this room. I'll wait here, and we can have that talk when you return."

Wolf nodded, then opened the door, and entered the small bunk room, shutting the door behind him. Andrew was lying on a cot, staring at the ceiling through half-closed eyes.

"Hello, Andrew."

"Ehhh... Whazzat? Who's there?" Andrew asked, blinking his eyes, trying to focus on Wolf. He had bandages around his head, and seemed to be groggy.

"It's Wolf."

"Oh... Great... Is this where you finish me off?"

Wolf chuckled.

"No, not quite," he said, leaning against the wall. "You're safe for now."

"Where am I?" Andrew asked.

"Aboard the _NinsonX_... Pym and his crew saved you after Kay-Tee blew you out of the sky."

Andrew winced at the memory, then struggled to sit up.

"Where're the others? Everything happened so fast... Where're Leon and Pinkbull?" he inquired.

Wolf glaced away from Andrew. He wasn't proud of the fact that several pilots had died in that skirmish. But, it was Iron Claw or Star Wolf, and at the end of the day, team Star Wolf had prevailed.

"I don't know where Leon is," Wolf said slowly. "His ship was damaged, but he may have been able to get back to wherever you lot came from. Pinkbull... And the other four pilots..."

"Yeah?"

"They're dead."

Andrew's eyes widened in shock.

"D-d-dead?" he stuttered. "I can't believe it..."

"Who were the others? The ones we couldn't identify..."

"Some guys that _he _thought would help us beat you," Andrew said, sounding miserable. "There names are... were... Mando Lin, Tan Jo, Av Arice, and Iban Ezer. They were rogues from the ArrDubyah system."

Wolf frowned thoughtfully. He'd vaguely heard the names before... But it was no one he really knew.

"Wait..." he said. "You said 'he'... Who's giving you orders now? Who's behind this?"

Andrew shifted uncomfortably.

"I shouldn't tell... He'll be mad at me," he murmured, avoiding his former boss' gaze.

"Ah, I see," Wolf said, shaking his head. "Andross."

Andrew jumped, saying, "How'd you know?!? I mean... What? Who?" He coughed nervously.

"Rest up, Andrew... I'll be back to talk to you again," Wolf told him, heading for the door. "If you choose to share more information with me then, you might find life a bit easier."

A moment later, Wolf was in the corridor again. Pablo was waiting for him.

"He's more alert now," Wolf told the man. "You might have one of your guys go in and check on him."

Pablo nodded, and spoke into his comm link, saying, "Zack? Can you check in on our guest? His name is Andrew, by the way. Tend to his bandages, and see if he wants some food." Turning back to Wolf, Pablo said, "Now... I think we have some things to discuss. If you'll follow me."

He led Wolf to an empty computer room, and shut the door behind them. Motioning for Wolf to take one of the chairs, he sat down opposite him.

Wolf let his eyes travel across the screens, taking in readouts from various parts of the ship that were displayed, before looking back at Pablo.

"I might as well be honest," Wolf started slowly, "I was paid to take this ship to someone who wants your shipment of roms."

"I assumed as much," Pablo said, nodding. "I actually expected something like this... Considering this is one of the last shipment of roms left in this part of the universe."

"What were you doing with them, anyway?"

"We were taking them to be destroyed, actually."

"Ah," said Wolf. "Well... Someone found out, apparently. Have you heard of Master SeaBee Emm?"

Pablo grimaced.

"He's one of the last, and most notorious, of the CoDi Hackers," he answered. He paused, then asked, "What do you intend to do now, Captain O'Donnell? I have no doubt that your 'friend' off Yavin III is Master SeaBee Emm."

Wolf nodded.

"That was the plan, yes," he told the man. "And still is. This ship will go to Yavin III."

Pablo steeled himself, and took a deep breath.

"I can't let you do tha-"

"Please, not that line, it's copywritten," Wolf interrupted.

"Oh... Err... Well, I won't let you take this ship without a fight," Pablo told him.

It was now or never, Wolf knew. He could kill this man, here and now, and then comm his teammates to do the same to the other crew members. Or... He could do the right thing.

"Captain Pym... Pablo... I have proposition for you," he said, making his choice. "Help me take Master SeaBee Emm down."

Pablo blinked.

"Are you joking?" he asked weakly.

"No."

"This isn't a trick of some sort?"

"Well, yes, but not on you... My plan is this : We go to Yavin III. You and your crew are tied up in your quarters. I meet with Emm, and get the money he was offering me. I then arrange to keep this ship, and have the necessary repairs made. Then... I take out Emm, and whoever he has with him. You take your roms wherever you were headed, and we keep Emm's ship."

He was making this up as he was going along, but the more he talked, the more confident Wolf felt. Pablo was in shock... But he quickly began to grasp the situation.

"I think we can do that," he said, slowly. "I'll talk to the others... But... I think they'll go along." Pablo looked at Wolf long and hard for a moment, then asked, "Why are you doing this?"

"Because... It's the right thing to do," Wolf said, getting to his feet. "I think." He left the computer room, and went to find his teammates. Moments later, they were gathered together once more.

"So, what's the plan, boss?" Kay-Tee wanted to know.

"Yeah... When do we strike?" Arti added.

"Change of plans," Wolf said briskly. "We're working with these guys to take down SeaBee Emm."

Dox, Arti, and Kay-Tee exchanged surprised glances. It was Dox who asked, "What do you mean, 'take down SeaBee Emm'?"

Wolf hesitated. If he told them he was going straight, would they want to follow suit? They'd joined Star Fox to be mercenaries... Pirates... Rogues. Not to be good guys. Wolf wasn't even sure _he _wanted to be a good guy, yet.

Finally he said, "It's more profitable this way... We get our money from Emm, then double-cross him. These guys... They're not worth the trouble. We let them go on their way, and we get to keep the denari _and _Emm's ship." He looked at each of them, then said, "Everybody clear on what's going down?"

"Erm... Sure, boss," said Kay-Tee, glancing at Dox.

Dox shrugged slightly, then said, "Whatever you say, sir."

Wolf thought he could see Arti frowning behind his screen, but the robotics expert simply said, "Understood."

Wolf nodded, and stood up.

"Good," he said. "Now... Let's see about some grub... I'm starved."

"I hope they have something better than K-Rations," Kay-Tee muttered. "I can't eat that stuff..."

"Where do they get that crud?" Dox wondered aloud.

"China," Wolf replied. "Kay-Tee, why don't you see if there's a kitchen on this ship? If they have something to work with, whip us up something, will you?"

"Yes, sir," Kay-Tee said, giving a salute. "Oh, I need to get my ship looked at sometime, though... It's in rough shape."

"Mine has a few dents, too," Dox added.

"Too bad the shaman isn't here," said Wolf. "He could fix the ships up pretty handily."

Just then, Mac Banno appeared.

"Captain O'Donnell? Sorry to interrupt, but there's a ship that wants to dock, who says he's with Star Wolf," he said.

"Eh? Wonder what that's about? Better let him in," Wolf said. "I'll be there to see who it is."

Minutes later, a familiar ship was landing in the docking bay. Wolf recognized the _Nutsen_, and walked forward as Mumbo jumped down.

"Greetings, Wolf Man," Mumbo said. "Mumbo change mind, and decide to help."

Arti and Dox came up behind them, just then, and they exchanged greetings with the shaman.

"Mumbo, if you're here, who's watching the base?" Wolf asked, frowning.

"Mallow Man," Mumbo replied.

Dox let out a low whistle.

"I hope you have insurance, boss..." he commented.

Wolf shook his head.

"Too expensive," he said, sighing. "But-... Wait... What's wrong with your wand, there, shaman?"

"What Wolf Man mean? It... Uh oh. Mumbo staff broken."

"Does that mean you can't Eekum Bokum anymore?" Arti asked.

"No... Mumbo still do magic... And can fix staff." The skull-faced shaman/mechanic paused, and looked somewhat distressed. "But... This not good."

"What?" Wolf asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Mumbo not sure, but... When staff get broken, Mumbo think recent spells might get un-Eekum Bokum-ed."

Wolf thought about that for a moment, then his eyes grew wide.

"Then... Panther... He'll revert back to normal form?" he asked.

"Purple Cat Man and Man Feef both," Mumbo said, somewhat dejectedly. "Mumbo may be best shaman in universe, but Mumbo not feel so hot now."

Wolf frowned. This wasn't good... Supposing Panther flew into a rage after what happened to him? It was likely he would. Who would he take it out on?

"Dox, see if you can raise HQ on your comm," he instructed.

Dox nodded, and spoke into the comm link.

"Dox to Star Wolf base, Dox to Star Wolf base, come in!" He waited, then repeated the sentence, adding, "C'mon, pick up, Lazlo!" He got no reply.

Wolf shook his head.

"Try every twenty minutes," he told Dox. "If you get no reply before we get to Yavin III... Stop trying. We have a job to do, and we can't worry about what's happening at the base until it's done."

"Yes, sir," Dox said.

Arti didn't say anything as he turned and clanked away. Wolf sighed, and looked at Mumbo.

"You'd better get that staff fixed," he said. "Also, the _Kazolfen_ has some major damage... Think you could take a look?"

Mumbo agreed, and set to work. Wolf walked to the nearest window, and looked out into space. They were slowly leaving Yavin IV behind. Wolf's mind was being tugged in two different directions... Yavin III and Venom. But they had to do this... He had to focus on taking down SeaBee Emm. For now...

_End of Chapter Six_


	7. Dox's Adventure

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

_Chapter Seven : Dox's Adventure._

"_NinsonX_ to _|_33+ Hacker_, do you read me _|_33+ Hacker _?"

_"Loud and clear... Who, may I ask, is manning this comm?"_

"Wolf O'Donnell, Star Wolf captain, and now captain of this ship since commandeering it."

_"Ah... O'Donnell. I see you've done what was asked of you."_

"Am I to presume you are Master SeaBee Emm?"

_"I am. When will you be bringing the __**NinsonX **__to me?"_

"We should be there... in about twelve standard hours."

_"That long?"_

"There were damages... Unexpected damages."

_"Ah. Well, see to it that you're here in twelve hours exactly, because after that, my price starts going down."_

"Understood. _NinsonX, _out."

Wolf put down the comm link, and glared at it.

"We'll be there, Emm, oh yes..." he murmured. "And you'll wish you hadn't hired us with every fiber of your being."

"Um, boss?"

"Mmm?" Wolf turned to see Dox standing there. "What? Did you get Lazlo to pick up?"

"Oh, no... I actually got Kay-Tee to take over comming HQ for me, so I could talk to you."

"I see... What's on your mind?"

"Well, I was thinking about something," Dox said slowly. "You hired me because I said I was a good spy... I think I need to focus on doing that more, and contributing something."

Wolf smirked.  
"You're more than a spy, Dox," he told him. "You're a darn good pilot, too. That's a contribution."

"Well... Still... Spying is what I'm supposed to be best at."

"What are you getting at, kid?"

"I want to go on ahead, and spy on SeaBee Emm," Dox said. "Look for weaknesses, see how many men he's got, things like that."

Wolf shook his head.

"He'd see you coming a mile away, and blow you outta the sky," he said.

"No, that's just it!" Dox said, excitedly. "Me, Mumbo, and Arti were working on a prototype stealth device for the Wolfens. We've got one working on my ship. I'm completely invisible to radar, heat scans, everything! Barring any bugs, of course." He coughed, and went on. "I can wait and see if any other ships go in or out, and then slip in when the docking bay doors are open... Then I can sneak around inside!"

Wolf frowned, and scratched his head. He didn't like it, not at all. What if there was a problem, and the stealth device failed? Dox was as good as dead. But then again, Wolf couldn't blame Dox for wanting to do his job. And he wasn't ready to start mollycoddling these guys. Sure, they meant something to him... But he didn't want to think about how much. Not yet.

"Okay," he said, finally. "Do it."

Dox grinned triumphantly.

"Thanks, boss, I won't let you down!" he exclaimed, turning to go.

As Dox started to dash away, Wolf called out, "One more thing, Dox. Do you believe in... Err... Divine intervention?"

Dox made a face.

"No, I'm an Atheist..." he replied.

"Oh."

Dox then disappeared down the corridor. Wolf sighed, and sat down at the computer bank once more. He had a lot of different scenarios playing out in his mind, and he had to admit... If Dox could get some information... It would be a major help. But at what cost?

*****

"This is it," Dox thought to himself. "This is my chance to prove myself. The last time I got caught. Oh, sure, it was my friend that caught me, but the odds of that happening again are pretty lousy."

Heading down to the docking bay, Dox found the _Paradoxen _looking brand new. Mumbo had cleaned it up nicely after the skirmish above Yavin IV. As he was climbing into the ship, Dox spied Mumbo working on Kay-Tee's _Kazolfen_.

"Hey, Mumbo! Thanks for the repairs!" he called.

"No problem, Pair of Socks Man. Mumbo glad to help. Mumbo feel like crummy shaman after breaking wand, and maybe getting Mallow Man killed."

"You couldn't help it, Mumbo," Dox said. "Don't beat yourself up over it, all right?" But, deep down, even he was feeling bad about the useless but friendly Lazlo.

Mumbo was quiet for a moment, then seemed to noitce that Dox was leaving.

"Where Pair of Socks Man go?" he asked.

"I have a special mission," Dox said, grinning. "I'm going to spy on SeaBee Emm!"

"Good luck," Mumbo said, waving. "You need it."

"Thanks... I think," Dox said, slipping into the seat as the canopy came down.

He started up the _Paradoxen_, and headed for the main doors. Wolf must've been watching, because the doors opened before he even had to ask. He skimmed out into open space, his adrenaline pumping at the thought of a dangerous mission.

_"Hey, Dox..."_ came Wolf's voice over the radio.

"Yeah, boss?"

_"Just... Um... Stay frosty."_

"Will do, sir."

The radio fell silent, so Dox keyed in the command for the stealth mode to kick in. From inside the cockpit, everything seemed the same, but he knew that he had disappeared from sight to everyone else. He then took a deep breath, and entered hyperspace.

It took him about five minutes to reach his destination, and though he trusted the stealth device, it was still rather eerie to be flying right up to a ship possibly filled to the brim with enemies.

The_ |_33+ Hacker _was huge. Bigger than the _NinsonX _by quite a bit. It was basically a flagship that had been turned into a freighter. Dox could see that with a little cleaning up, it could still be a fine ship. The thought of Team Star Wolf flying around in it made him smile.

But there wasn't time to daydream. He quickly set a course that would have him slowly circling Emm's ship. He located the docking bay after the second pass, and moved in closer. All he could do was keep moving at the slowest speed possible, and wait for the doors to open.

Just when he was beginning to doze, movement caught his eye. There was a ship coming in from space toward the _|_33+ Hacker_, and the docking bay doors were opening! Dox tensed himself, getting into position. This was going to be tricky.

As the ship moved by underneath him, Dox looped around, and got directly behind it. The ship was slightly larger than his, possibly a two-person job, so he felt comfortable flying behind it. Even being invisible, it was comforting to hide behind something bigger than himself.

He held his breath as they crawled forward, and entered the interior lights of the docking bay. He was in! Now... The trickiest part yet... Dox had to do a reverse gravity landing. It was the only way to avoid his ship being found.

He keyed in the appropriate command, then flicked a couple of levers... Then he did a quick half-loop, and pushed forward on the yoke. There was a rather loud clanging sound as he landed on the ceiling, and he almost panicked. But, just as he had landed noisily, the other ship had done the same thing, at the same time.

"Whew, close..." Dox murmured.

Now came another waiting game, but at least this time he could observe some interesting things as well. There were two beings in the arriving ship, as he had guessed, and two others greeted them.

One wore a hooded cloak, and Dox couldn't make out their features at all... He guessed that it was SeaBee Emm. The person with him was a large, ghoulish-looking fellow, with extremely long arms, and a brown jacket. He had been on the ship with Emm.

The first of the two arrivals was also wearing a cloak, but his was quite colorful. It was turqouise, with gold embroidering on it. From within his hood, two glowing yellow eyes could be seen. Dox was surprised to see Emm bow to the short figure as he approached.

The second arrival was a droid. He was much taller than his fellow arrival. He was made from shiny black metal, and seemed to be one of the latest models. He stood behind the short being, and had the appearance of someone who took orders without hesitation. But all droids did, Dox supposed.

The group of four then began to walk out of sight, with Emm and the short being leading the way. Just before he entered the corridor, however, the droid stopped, and looked up at the ceiling... Right at Dox. The spy held his breath, hoping that his stealth device hadn't failed him.

The droid looked away a moment later, and scanned the rest of the room. Then it turned, and left the docking bay. Dox exhaled, feeling relieved. Then he prepared to get out. Had he not had an anti-grav belt, the whole thing would've been much more difficult. But he did, and in moments he was lightly landing on the floor of the docking bay.

Laying his hand on his blaster, Dox crept forward quickly. He was silent, as he had been trained, and his eyes were aware of everything around him. Nothing caught his attention, so he kept moving, ducking into shadows, and peeking around corners.

Making his way down the main corridor, Dox caught the sound of voices. Intrigued, he moved instinctively nearer, and soon discovered a partially ajar door. Coming from within were the voices he had heard. Holding his breath, and keeping his eyes open for any movement in the corridor, he began to listen closer.

"...so glad you are here," a familiar voice was saying. That was the voice that Dox had overheard Wolf talking to earlier. Master SeaBee Emm.

"I... Hope... We... Can... Complete... Our... Mission... Soon," said the other voice, in a halting, almost mechanical-sounding voice.

"We will, O Great and Wise Ancient Minister," Emm said. "I promise you this. Our work will soon be complete, and we will have rewritten history itself."

"You... Sound... Confident... As... Ever," replied the Ancient Minister. "I... Hope... Past... Failures... Do... Not... Repeat."

"I stake my life on this, Ancient Minster, we will succeed," Emm said. "The CoDi Hackers before me may have failed... But I will not."

"See... That... You... Don't."

Dox heard rustling in the room, and quickly began to back away from the door. He needed to reach his ship... It was his only real safe-haven. He could comm Wolf, and tell him what he had seen and heard so far.

As he rounded the corner, he backed right into something cold and metallic. Turning, Dox saw the droid. He mentally berated himself for not turning sooner. Once again he had been caught!

"Are you part of the crew?" the droid asked, in a surprisingly normal voice. "Do you serve Master SeaBee Emm?"

"Err... Yeah," Dox said, his hand drifting down to the blaster he had holstered at his hip. "That's right."

"Don't bother trying to shoot me, you'll never clear the holster before I take you down," the droid said evenly. "You are not a member of this crew, there are no other crew members besides Master Emm and his Gruntling assistant. Now, again, who are you?"

Dox wasn't sure if the droid was boasting or not... But he wasn't sure he could take the chance.  
"My name is Paradox Author, or Dox to most, and I'm a spy," he said, looking about for some sort of opening or inspiration.

"A spy?" the droid asked. "Are you here to harm the Ancient Minister?"

"The short dude in the green cloak? No," Dox said, shaking his head. "I'm spying to get information on Emm." He supposed he was indirectly spying on the Ancient Minister, now, too, but he left that out.

"Oh, well then, carry on," the droid said, shrugging. "As long as you're not here to harm my liege-lord, and are simply gathering information about Master Emm, then I have no qualm with you."

Dox stared in surprise as the droid turned to walk away.

"Say, wait," he said, reaching forward to stop the droid. "What gives? You're not turning me in?"

"No," the droid replied. "I have no ties to Master Emm. So, as long as the Ancient Minister is unharmed, I have no issue with you, or your mission."

"Wow... That's swell of you," Dox said. "Say, what's your name?"

"CT64," the droid replied. "You had better scurry up to your ship on the ceiling of the docking bay, and lie low for a while. Good luck, Dox." Dox opened his mouth to asked how CT64 knew where his ship was, but the droid said, "I saw the dust being moved by the waves of heat from your engine." He then walked away, down the corridor.

Dox stared at him for a moment, then hurriedly made his way back to the docking bay, and floated up to his ship. Once inside, he picked up his comm link, and prepared to tell Wolf all that he had learned.

_End of Chapter Seven_


	8. Wolf vs Emm

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

_Chapter Eight : Wolf vs. Emm_

Wolf was staring at the comm station when Dox's voice came through.

_"Red Three to __**NinsonX**__, come in!"_

"This is Wolf, go ahead Dox!" Wolf said.

_"Hi, sir! I found out some important information. First of all, there are only four beings on the ship at this time... Besides me of course. There's SeaBee Emm, and his assistant... Some creature called a Gruntling were the only crew members on the ship. However, a two-person ship came, which is what gave me my chance to get inside, and a strange cloaked person called the Ancient Minister got off, with his droid CT64."_

When Dox paused for breath, Wolf asked, "Are you still on the ship?"

_"Yes,"_ Dox replied.

"Isn't that risky? You might get seen."

_"Err... Well..."_ Dox said, coughing.

"Oh for crying out loud!" Wolf said, facepalming himself. "Again?"

_"It's okay, though, really."_

"What, another friend caught you?"

_"No... Well, he was friend__**ly**__. Anyway, it was the droid, CT64... He was real swell about it. He said as long as I'm not there trying to hurt his Ancient Minister, he wouldn't rat me out. I swore I was only there to spy on Emm, and he let me go!"_

Wolf sighed.

"Did you happen to eavesdrop on any conversations between Emm and this Ancient Minister?" he inquired.

_"Yeah, I did! I heard them planning... To rewrite history itself, I think Emm said... And the Minister was warning him that he'd better not make anymore mistakes."_

"And it didn't dawn on you that since Emm is working with, or for, this Ancient Minister, that makes _him _our enemy as well? Thereby negating your promise to the droid, of course..."

Dox was quiet for a moment, then said, _"I didn't think of that, sir. But if it comes down to it, I'll turn the droid into scrap metal, and we won't have a problem."_

"You be sure that you do, if need be," Wolf ordered, sternly. "Now, can you tell me anything else? About Emm or the Minister?"

_"Well, Emm and the Minister were both all covered up in cloaks... All I can say is that Emm is about your heighth, and the Minister is pretty short."_ Dox paused, then added, _"The Minister sounded like a robot when he talked, too."_

Wolf frowned thoughtfully, something nagging at the back of his mind. What about this was familiar? He'd dealt with a CoDi Hacker in the past, but it wasn't SeaBee Emm. No, it was this 'Ancient Minister'... Something struck a chord.

"What about the... Gruntling, you called it?" Wolf asked, pushing aside his pondering for the moment. "What sort of creature is it?"

_"No clue, boss," _Dox replied. _"It's big, strong-looking... And creepy."_

"Well, I commend you on your information," Wolf told him. "You stay hidden as much as possible, but... If you can, try to do a little more eavesdropping. See if you can find out what sort of weapons are aboard, and any powers these guys might have... That sort of thing."

_"Gotcha, boss."_

"We'll be there in a few hours..."

_"See you then... Red Three, out."_

Wolf leaned back in his chair, his eyes looking bloodshot and weary. He was tired, sure... But some food and a quick recharge in the Refresher Unit would fix that. No, it was more than that.

When he gained a conscience, he gained a lot of troubling thoughts. Now he thought about people other than himself. He thought of his teammates, and even little Lazlo back home. He thought about the honest crew on the _NinsonX_. He thought about the pilots who had died earlier during the battle.

"What's the matter with me? Just because I wanna go straight doesn't mean I have to get sappy," Wolf chided himself. Still, he let his mind wander back to the meeting with D, and wondered if he was doing what he was supposed to, now.

There wasn't time to deliberate... He needed a recharge, some energy, before they finished this mission. He didn't have time for sleep, but he would make do without it. It wouldn't be the first time.

Hours later, the _NinsonX _came within sight of the _|_33+ Hacker_. Wolf was piloting the freighter himself, and gave a low whistle when he saw the size of the ship they were approaching.

"That's going to be mighty nice to have," he murmured, allowing himself a cocky, confident remark before everything possibly went to Hades in a handbasket. "Look alive, you lot."

Arti was positioned at the comm station, Mumbo at the shield station, and Kay-Tee was manning the cannons... Though he wasn't allowed to even breathe on the controls, according to Wolf.

_"Approaching craft, this is the |_33+ Hacker, identify yourself,"_ came a slightly mechanical voice over the radio.

"This is the _NinsonX_, under the command of Wolf O'Donnell," Arti said, into the comm link. "We're expected."

"I see," said the other voice. "I will open the docking bay, and extend the mounts."

The _NinsonX _would have to park alongside the _|_33+ Hacker_ and a side-along connection would be made between the ships. This would allow them to step out of the _NinsonX_'s docking bay, right into the _|_33+ Hacker_'s.

Wolf easily maneuvered into position, and heard the connecting mounts lock into place. The _NinsonX _shuddered slightly, then steadied. It was time.

"Okay... Here we go," Wolf said, getting to his feet. He had a feeling that this wasn't going to be easy... But nothing ever seemed to be.

Pablo, Zack, El, and Mac were all tied up in Pablo's cabin. The bindings were loose, and could easily be broken... Also, they each carried a holdout blaster. They were the backup team. If something went wrong, they would go into action.

Wolf and his team confidently strode down the corridor, into the docking bay, and toward the open doors. They showed a short metal tunnel ahead, with the interior of the other docking bay beyond. A moment later they were stepping into the light, and aboard the _|_33+ Hacker_.

Waiting for them was the droid that Dox had described.

"I am CT64," he said, his voice matching that of the person who they had spoken with on the comm moments ago. "Personal droid of the Ancient Minister of Enniess, who is visiting the captain of this ship, Master Emm."

Wolf blinked. _Enniess_... Of course. Now he knew who... Or rather what... The Ancient Minister was. He didn't let on, however, and nodded at the droid.

"Can you take me to see Master Emm?" Wolf asked. "My men will remain here, prepared to go back and unload the cargo that Emm will be paying me for."

"Certainly."

Wolf shot his teammates a look, then followed the droid as he made his way out of the docking bay, and down a corridor. CT64 stopped by the same door that Dox had been listening at before.

"Go right on in," the droid said, motioning. "I have no authority to announce you, and since you were expected I see no issue in you entering without fanfare."

Wolf smirked... Not many droids had that much free will.

"Thanks," he said, stepping into the room.

Wolf looked around, seeing a lavishly decorated cabin, with trinkets, idols, jewels, and other such items of frivolous value. He couldn't help thinking that those would keep the team rolling in denari for quite some time.

Sitting in a chair behind a desk was a cloaked man. He kept the hood pulled down, hiding his face and features. Something about the dark space, where his face (presumably) was, unnerved Wolf... But then again, he'd had problems with men like SeaBee Emm in the past.

"Ah... O'Donnell... How nice of you to be on time," Emm said, his voice dark and cruel. "I am pleased."

"I try," Wolf said, shrugging.

"Tell me... Did you bring what I asked for?"

"Yes... I brought the _NinsonX_, and everything on it," Wolf replied, trying his best to remain nonchalant. "I would like to offer you a proposition, however, Master Emm."

Emm leaned forward in his seat.

"Do tell, O'Donnell... What is this proposition?" he asked.

"Well, I would like to have the _NinsonX_," Wolf told him. "I could use a ship of that size. I was wondering if we might strike a deal of some sort..."

Emm was quiet for a moment, then nodded.

"It is of no value to me... Only what lies in the cargo bay is of any interest to me at all," he said. "I will offer you this deal, O'Donnell... I pay you half of what was originally agreed upon, and you keep the _NinsonX_, minus it's cargo. Deal?"

Wolf knew he couldn't be too eager... He had to make this look good.

"Hey, we had to fight off some competition out there to get that ship, and it took some heavy damage!" he said, trying to look angry. "We earned our payment, and that ship!"

Emm bought the routine, but wasn't about to give in.

"Then... Half the money, the ship, and all the repairs it needs," he said. "My final offer, O'Donnell."

Wolf frowned, then nodded.

"Fine," he said. "But I won't be doing business with a CoDi Hacker again anytime soon."

"I won't be needing you ever again, O'Donnell, trust me," Emm said, waving his hand airily. "I am on the brink of greatness..."

"Oh?"

"That is none of your concern..." Emm said, then started chuckling darkly.

"Something funny, Master Emm?" Wolf asked, suspiciously.

"It's amusing that insignificant people are so ignorant of the plans of gods," Emm said, his voice sounding very smug.

"Whatever you say..." Wolf said, biting back a retort. He had to stick to the plan, and playing along with Emm until they got to the docking bay was part of that. He just hoped the others had managed to do their part.

*****

As Wolf walked away with CT64, his teammates were getting ready for phase one of Operation Take Down Emm. That mainly involved disarming the Gruntling as quietly as possible, while Wolf talked with Emm.

Only a moment after Wolf had disappeared, the Gruntling came lumbering into the docking bay. He was a scary looking creature, at least to Kay-Tee, and bigger than they had expected. But Arti (in his indoor mech suit) shot Kay-Tee a glance that said he wasn't concerned, so the young pilot tried to look confident as well.

"Graar... I'm s'posed to load roms, now... Star Wolf crew help?" the Gruntling inquired hopefully.

"Yeah... Come right in, and we'll show you where they are," Arti said, motioning into the _NinsonX_. He stepped aside to let the creature by, then followed him with Mumbo.

Kay-Tee waved at the ceiling, and a moment later Dox was dropping down.

"Long time no see, buddy," the spy said, grinning.

"I ain't your buddy, pal!" Kay-Tee said, then laughed. "Come on, Arti might need our help dealing with Troll-Boy."

Neither of them noticed CT64 watching them as they crossed back into the _NinsonX_. The droid walked forward slowly and quietly, his face impassive as ever.

Kay-Tee and Dox hurried down the corridor, toward the storage area. Arti, Mumbo, and the Gruntling were already there.

"Those are the crates over there," Arti was saying.

The Gruntling trudged forward, reaching with his long arms to grasp a container. That was when Arti acted. His right mech-arm transformed into a blaster cannon... He took aim, and fired, a blue ring of light enveloping the Gruntling. The creature shivered slightly, almost dropping the crate, but quickly recovered.

Arti blinked.

_"Okay, so stun isn't going to cut it... Sorry, boss, looks like it goes down the hard way,"_ he thought.

He changed the setting just as the Gruntling turned. A level seven blast caught the creature right in the side of his head! It stumbled sideways, dropping the crate this time, as it crashed into the other crates. Just as Kay-Tee, Dox, and Mumbo started to applaud, the creature got to his feet, and glared at them.

"GRAAAR! I not like that! I am mad, now!" the Gruntling roared.

"Eekum Bokum," Mumbo muttered.

"Oh, crap," Kay-Tee said.

"What about the kids?" Dox reminded him.

"Forget the kids... We're gonna die!"

Arti stepped forward, both mech-arms now cannons. Dox and Kay-Tee pulled out their pistols. Mumbo brandished his newly repaired shaman stick. The Gruntling lunged at them...

*****

"I suppose your crew is on the _NinsonX _helping my assistant unload?" Master SeaBee Emm asked.

"It would seem so," Wolf replied, glancing around. He thought he saw a shiny, black figure disappear into the _NinsonX_... _"Was that the droid?"_ he wondered. But then he heard shouts, roaring, and blasterfire.

Emm tensed.

"What is that?" he asked, turning to look at Wolf. "No wait... Don't tell me... A double-cross?" He cackled evilly, and pulled something from his belt. With a resounding *SNAP-HISS* a lightsaber sprang to life, it's red beam glowing brightly. "I'm so glad you're doing this... Now I can save my five thousand denari."

Wolf took a step back. His hand rested on his pistol hilt, but knew that would be of little use... No... He needed something else.

"I prefer my opponents to have a fair chance," Emm stated, as if reading his mind. "Here..." He tossed something at Wolf, which he deftly caught... Another lightsaber. "Do you know how to turn it on?" the cloaked man asked.

Wolf did, and soon a shimmering blue beam was humming along with Emm's red beam. Wolf spun it in his hands, over his head, then brought it to guard position. He'd done this before... He just hoped Emm wasn't as good as he seemed to think he was.

*****

Meanwhile, things weren't going so well aboard the _NinsonX_. Kay-Tee and Dox had taken cover behind crates, firing shots at the Gruntling which seemed to have no effect. Arti had slowly drawn the creature away from his teammates, but was now backed into a corner. Mumbo was desperately trying to remember the spell he needed.

"Let's dance, scum bag!" Arti yelled, lunging forward to grapple with the creature. His mech-arms were now sporting talon-like fingers.

The Gruntling grabbed his arms, and pulled outward. Arti's talons ripped free of the creature's coat, and soon Arti found his mech-arms pulled straight out on either side.

The Gruntling gave another roar, then gave a harsh tug... Arti's mech-arms ripped free from his suit, sparks flying. Arti was being shocked as the suit short-circuited. Kay-Tee and Dox leapt over the crates, in fear for Arti. They watched as the Gruntling backhanded Arti into the wall, where he crumpled, sparks still flying.

Mumbo jumped forward, and started chanting.

"EEKUM BOKUM, EEKUM BOKUM, BOOP BADA BOO, BOOP BADA BOO, EEK-URF!" He was cut off as the Gruntling heaved a huge crate at him, seemingly crushing the shaman.

"NO!" Kay-Tee exclaimed, rushing forward. He leapt at the creature, as if he could throttle it. The Gruntling merely flicked him off, and into the wall with a resounding thud, then turned toward Dox.

"Now you die!" the creature roared.

"Oh, for the love of Pete, somebody help us..." Dox said, half-heartedly firing his gun, knowing it wouldn't do any good.

*****

"Argh!"

"Urf!"

*ZHING-ZHANG-ZHOW*

Lightsabers sparked off of each other. The two combatants jumped back to take a breath, sweat pouring from their faces. Wolf was already getting tired, plus had a burn on his left arm from a near-miss. Emm seemed tired too, but he had yet to be injured.

"Now... We finish this!" Emm exclaimed. He lunged forward, swinging his lightsaber.

Wolf dodged nimbly to the side, stuck out his foot, and tripped the CoDi Hacker. The man screamed as he fell face down, his own lightsaber plunging into his chest. He disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving his cloak and lightsaber behind.

Wolf closed down his lightsaber, and sighed. It was a dirty trick... Something a CoDi Hacker probably wouldn't expect. But he knew he couldn't have lasted as long as Emm could have, and that would've spelled doom for Wolf O'Donnell.

"HELP!"

Wolf spun around. Now that he was no longer fighting Emm, he could hear cries for help, and sounds of a struggle. And it didn't sound good.

He dashed toward the docking bay doors, and leapt through them, just in time to see Dox get punched by the ham-sized fist of the Gruntling! Dox went flying, and slammed into a stack of crates.

Wolf glanced around the room, and spied Kay-Tee out cold against one wall, Mumbo's legs sticking out from under a crate, and Arti crumpled up with sparks flashing on his ruined mech-suit. Wolf turned back to the Gruntling, rage apparent in his eyes.

"Oh no you didn't," he muttered, the lightsaber in his hands springing to life.

The Gruntling turned around, and looked at him.

"Graar?" it said, raising an eyebrow.

Wolf swung the lightsaber in a high arc, cleanly seperating the Gruntling's head from it's shoulders. The body crashed down at his feet, and the head rolled across the room, toward the door that led to the corridor beyond. It came to a stop just as Pablo Pym, Zack Vee, El Boton, and Mac Banno walked up.

Pablo looked at the head with indifference, then looked at Wolf.

"Need any help?" he asked.

Wolf started to ask what took him so long, but instead he shrugged.

"I think it's handled," he said, closing the lightsaber down once more. "My men are hurt, though, and-ARGH!"

Wolf hit the floor hard, having been blasted from behind. Pablo and his men reached for their holdout blasters, but a voice stopped them, saying, "I wouldn't, unless you want to join the Star Wolf captain..."

The crew of the _NinsonX_ looked at the droid, CT64, who was holding a rather large blaster rifle. CT64 stepped aside, and allowed a small figure in a turquoise cloak to enter.

"It... Seems... My... Plans... Must... Be... Adjusted..." the Ancient Minister said. "But... I... Can... Still... Succeed..."

CT64 told Pablo and his men to drop their weapons, and they did so. Kay-Tee got shakily to his feet, taking in everything with surprise. Arti, Mumbo, and Dox were down... The Gruntling was down... And... Wolf was down, too?!? CT64 turned the rifle in his direction briefly.

"Drop your weapon, and bow to the Ancient Minister," CT64 told him, "The future lord of the universe."

_End of Chapter Eight_

**Hey, I'm not getting many reviews, please let me know what you think. - J.W.**


	9. The Ancient Minister's Plan

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

_Chapter Nine : The Ancient Minister's Plan_

"Wolf? Wolf!"

"Uurgh... Eh?"

"Snap out of it!"

"Wha... What... What happened?" Wolf asked blearily, coming to.

"A flaw in your plan, I would say," came the reply. It was Pablo Pym, pilot of the _NinsonX_.

Wolf looked around in dismay, realizing he was still in the docking bay... But now he was shackled. He gave a half-hearted tug, but knew he wouldn't be breaking free anytime soon. Looking to either side, he saw that Pablo, Mac, El, Zack, and Kay-Tee were shackled as well. Kay-Tee looked so miserable he might cry.

"Hey, kid... What's wrong?" Wolf asked.

"Everything, boss, just everything..." the young pilot said quietly.

Wolf realized the other three members of his team weren't in the room.

"Wait, where are the others, Kay-Tee?" he asked.

"Well... Arti and Dox are in healing tanks aboard the _|_33+ Hacker_, getting Bacta treatments... Arti got fried pretty good when his suit shorted out, and Dox got his skull cracked open. And... Mumbo..." he trailed off, sniffing.

"What? What about the shaman?"

"He's dead," Pablo said, saving Kay-Tee from having to. "Checked him myself, before they shackled us. No sign of life... That crate was huge, and... It crushed him badly. I'm sorry, Wolf."

Wolf couldn't speak for a moment... He'd grown fond of all his new teammates, and now... The shaman... Mumbo... Was dead. He felt a pang of grief in his chest, but it was quickly replaced with rage.

"I'll kill the sonuvamartian who did that to him," Wolf spat.

"You did," El Boton said. "Remember?"

Now Wolf remembered... He had rushed in, and killed the Gruntling... Mumbo's murderer. And then, as he turned to see Pablo enter, he...

"What happened?"

"CT64, the droid, blasted you... Must've been a high powered stun bolt, because you were out for a while, but it didn't harm you badly..." Zack spoke up, eager to tell the story.

"I guess the Ancient Minister told him to take care of us," Wolf said. "I'm surprised he got all of you so easily, though."

Mac made a face.

"We thought he had killed you, so we tossed our guns down pretty quickly," he said. "We didn't realize he had only stunned you until minutes later."

"Stupid junk heap," El muttered angrily, pulling at his shackles.

"At least he got Articerile and Paradox Author into the Bacta," Pablo pointed out.

Wolf glanced over at Kay-Tee, still silent in his misery. He didn't try to question him, there was no point, and the kid needed a few minutes to get it together.

"Pablo, did CT64 go back into the cabins and look around?" Wolf asked, an idea coming to him.

"No... He and the Minister went back into the _|_33+ Hacker_ and haven't come back since..." Pym replied. "Why?"

"That means they don't know about Andrew, yeah? Or about your backup weapons?"

"Oh, I'd forgotten about him. But no... I suppose not."

"Good," said Wolf. "Then I have the makings of a plan... But we need someone to get loose to make it work."

Kay-Tee looked up, and said, "Boss, I-" He cut himself off as the Ancient Minister and CT64 appeared in the doorway, coming toward them.

"Well... Awake... Now... Are... We... O'Donnell?" the diminuitive, cloaked figure asked.

"Yes," Wolf said, gritting his teeth. "Mind telling us what the deal is? We don't have any beef with you, _your majesty_, we just want our pay from Emm."

"That's... Why... You... Killed... Him... I... Suppose?"

"He tried to doublecross me and keep my 5,000 denari," Wolf said, feigning disgust. "And while I fought him off, his creature killed... *cough*... killed one of my men, and harmed the rest."

"Your... Loss... Was... Avoidable..." said the Ancient Minister. "You... Could... Have... Completed... Your... Transaction... Fairly... With... Emm. Instead... You... Tried... To... Ruin... My... Plans." He paused, then added, "But... You... Failed."

"Epicly," El murmured, morosely.

"Okay, fine, so I wanted to get the money, the ships, the works," Wolf said, shrugging. "I still didn't come here to mess up your plan, I didn't even know you were here." That was true, or at least it was up until Dox had come to spy.

"I sense they are telling the truth, my liege," CT64 interjected. "I do not believe they wish us harm. They were dealing with Emm, and-"

"Silence! I... Feel... That... They... Are... Not... To... Be... Trusted!" said the Minister. "They... Wish... To... Stop... Us... Reaching... The... Fifth... Dimension."

Wolf raised an eybrow... The fifth dimension?

"What're you talking about, that's not even possible..." he muttered.

"I... Have... Found... A... Way..." the Minister replied, gliding across the floor, toward a large window looking out into space. "I... Will... Harness... An... Unstoppable... Energy... And... Utilize... The... Roms... To... Open... A... Portal... To... The... Fifth... Dimension. There... We... Will... Find... The... Spot... Where... All... Times... Do... Meet. From... There... I... Will... Control... The... Universe."

Wolf knew he should quit asking questions, but he felt the need to ask another.

"What sort of power source would allow you to reprogram the time/space fabric, and open a portal into another dimension?" he asked.

"The... Sun... Of... This... Solar... System..." the Ancient Minister replied.

Then it all made sense... The energy displaced by a dying star, just before it formed a black hole, was immense... Incalculable, really. And that was what this mad little Minister had planned... He was going to destroy a star. The star they were currently only a few planets away from.

"You're insane," Pablo murmured, coming to the same conclusions Wolf had.

"No... I... Am... The... Future... Lord... Of... The... Universe."

"But the people!" El protested. "All the people in this solar system, and maybe the next... They'll all die! Billions! Trillions!"

CT64's head jerked in El Boton's direction, his glowing eyes briefly fixed on the crew member. He then quickly returned to staring straight ahead, but Kay-Tee had seen him. He wasn't sure, but the droid had seemed startled.

"I... Care... Not... For... The... Plight... Of... One... Solar... System..." the Ancient Minister said. "I... Am... Willing... To... Make... That... Sacrifice..."

With that, the Minister turned and glided out of the docking bay, back into the _|_33+ Hacker_, and out of sight. CT64 hesitated, then followed him.

Wolf looked from side to side at his comrades.

"Well... Looks like we jumped out of the frying pan, and into the fire," he said. "So much for doing the right thing." Wolf knew what the right thing to do was in this situation... Stop the Ancient Minister. That was all fine and well, but the question was... How?

_End of Chapter Nine_


	10. Countdown Initiated

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

_Chapter Ten : Countdown Initiated_

"Captain's log... Lucky thing I've got this recorder in my wrist computer, so I can update. We're hostages now, my team and I, as well as Pym and his crew. Our captor is the Ancient Minister of Enniess. I was blasted from behind by his droid CT64, and everyone else was tied up... Aside from Arti and Dox, who are in Bacta tanks, and... Mumbo..."

Wolf still couldn't believe it... Mumbo Jumbo, the shaman/mechanic/pilot, was dead. He'd been avenged, at least, when his killer, the Gruntling, had died at Wolf's hands, but... It didn't change the fact that the skull-faced shaman was gone.

"I think CT64 might not like his boss' plans," Kay-Tee said, interrupting Wolf's thoughts.

"Eh? What do you mean?" Wolf inquired.

"When Mac was talking about the billions that would die if the star was turned into a blackhole, the droid was staring at him pretty hard, and he seemed pretty shocked," Kay-Tee told him. The young pilot was trying not to think of Mumbo, and focus on getting out of the mess they were in.

"I noticed him hesitate before following the Minister, too," El Boton interjected. "Like he wanted us to tell him more."

Wolf pondered that for a moment.

"He shot me in the back, but he only stunned me," he said, thoughtfully.

"And he insisted your other two men be taken to the Bacta tanks, as well," Pablo G. Pym added.

Wolf nodded. Adding all that to the fact that he hadn't turned Dox in when he caught the spy prowling around made it seem like the droid might just have caring side. Billions of innocent sentients dying would bother someone with even a little decency.

"We'll have to keep an eye on him, he may prove useful," Wolf said. "And then... There's Andrew."

"You really think he'll be much help?" Kay-Tee asked.

"I'd like to think so," Wolf replied. "He had moments where he wasn't

a complete idiot, when he worked for me. He could fight when he had to... And this is definitely a 'have to' situation."

"Well, I'll go get him then," Kay-Tee said, slipping out of his shackles.

"Hey! How'd you do that?!?" Zack Vee wanted to know.

"It's the feathers, it makes me hard to shackle," Kay-Tee said with a shrug. "What should I tell Andrew, boss?"

"Tell him it's life or death for him as well as us," said Wolf. "Also, go get those backup weapons... You remember where they are, right?" Kay-Tee nodded, so Wolf went on. "Sneak back here, but stay silent... If the droid or the Minister is in here, stay back until I signal you... I have a feeling that there's more to this situation than meets the eye."

"Right, boss," the Kay-Tee said with confidence he didn't really feel. "Wait, how will you explain my absence?"

"The Minister is preoccupied with his plan," Wolf said. "The only one who might notice is CT64. If he really is unsure about his leader's plans, he might overlook it. If not... Then you'll have to be ready to frag his metallic hide."

Kay-Tee nodded, then disappeared into the inner corridors of the _NinsonX_. Pablo sighed, glancing around the docking area, where they were imprisoned.

"I have conflicting emotions, Wolf," he said, heavily. "Part of me just wants to take my ship and get out of here. The other part of me wants to make sure the Minister's evil plan gets stopped." He paused, then glanced at Wolf. "You ever have those kinds of feelings?"

Wolf snorted. He'd had so much of that lately, he could write a fanfiction about it.

"Yeah, I get you," he replied. "But right now, to be honest, I pretty much have my mind set on stopping the Ancient Minister. He's partially to blame for what happened to Mumbo... And now, with his plans... He's gotta be stopped."

"No kidding," Mac Banno said, rolling his eyes. "You do realize that when that star collapses, after he's used it, we'll be the first to implode, right?"

"Way to cheer us up, Mac," Zack said, making a face.

"That just makes it all the more important," Wolf said. "If you're the kind of person who's only out for number one... Like I used to be... Then there's still a reason to fight. That's why I hope Andrew will come through..."

*****

Kay-Tee quickly made his way through the _NinsonX_, and back to the room where Andrew was getting his Bacta treatments. The ex-Star Wolf member would be close to 100% healed, but getting him to risk that health was the real problem.

Opening the door, Kay-Tee stepped inside, seeing Andrew sitting up, stretching and yawning.  
"Oh, finally!" Andrew said, making a face. "I was starving! You brought the food, didn't you?"

"No, I didn't," Kay-Tee said, frowning. "I came because we need your help! The boss told me to get you, and-"

"Oh, so he thinks I'll just start taking orders from him, now, eh?" Andrew said, sneering. "Well, fat chance. I want some food, and then I want to get off this stinking ship, and back home."

"That's not going to happen, you idiot!" Kay-Tee snapped. "We're all about to die!"

"D-die?!? UNCLE ANDROSS!"

"Shut up!" Kay-Tee warned, worried the noise might attract CT64. "Look... SeaBee Emm and his creature/assistant are dead, but his partner in crime, the Ancient Minister, is cooking up a plan that'll wipe out this solar system, and everyone in it... Including us."

Andrew paled, swallowed hard, and then spoke much more quietly.

"Wh-what can we do?" he asked, tentatively.

"The boss and the crew of the _NinsonX _are shackled in the docking bay, right now, while the Minister gets ready to destroy the star," Kay-Tee said, hurriedly. "It's up to us to get the backup guns, and take them to the boss and the others."

"You know where these weapons are?"

"Yes, I do... So, will you come with me?" Kay-Tee waited anxiously

for his reply.

Andrew hesitated, then nodded.

"I'll come," he said, getting shakily to his feet. "I might be a little slow, I haven't moved since the accident, you know... But I'll come... I don't wanna die."

"Good!" Kay-Tee said, somewhat relieved to not be in this alone. "Now, come on! We gotta get those guns."

*****

Wolf and the others were almost to the point of dozing, when metallic footsteps caused them to look up. CT64 was coming toward them slowly.

"Well, come in, have a chat," said Wolf, smirking. "What can we do for you?"

The droid hesitated, then asked, "Is it true? Will billions of sentients die if my liege's plans are made reality?"

Wolf nodded.

"The way he's talking, yeah," he said. "He'll level this solar system, and maybe the next..."

CT64, being a droid, was hard to read, but Wolf thought he seemed very nervous.

"But... There are other ways, surely? Ways that he can use the star without harming so many?" he asked.

"Not that I know of, droid," Wolf said, with a shrug. "He doesn't seem to care, anyway..."

"My master is very caring!" CT64 said emphatically. "He is striving to save Enniess, and save our people! I just... I do not understand how his plan could harm so many others... I must think about this."

"Don't think too long, CT64," Pablo said quietly. "Time's running short."

CT64 looked from Wolf to Pablo, then turned to walk away. He stopped short, however, and turned back. He scanned the group, then titled his head slightly as he said, "You should have your friend return before my liege notices his absence." The droid then walked out of sight once more.

"I hope we can count on him to help," Pablo commented.

"Or at least not help his boss," El added.

Wolf shook his head.

"We can't count on anybody but ourselves..." he murmured. "But some help would be nice."

*****

Kay-Tee and Andrew quickly located the weapons stash. There were a few rifles and some pistols... Not a lot, but better than nothing. Besides, they were only up against one short dude and a droid, right? Kay-Tee wasn't sure what Wolf meant by there being more than met the eye about the situation.

"Here, let's use this duffel bag to carry them," Kay-Tee instructed.

Andrew started placing the weapons in the bag.

"So you're my replacement, eh?" he asked, looking at the Anthro-Avian.

"One of the replacements," Kay-Tee said, shrugging. "Me, Arti, Dox, and..." He trailed off.

"What?"

"Nothing, forget it," Kay-Tee said, shaking his head. "Come on, we need to get back to the boss."

"You think... Well... You think he might let me come back if I help him out?" Andrew asked, suddenly.

Kay-Tee looked at the apish fellow in surprise.

"You mean you want to be part of the team again?" he asked. "What about your uncle?"

"He'll kill me for messing up so bad... Again..." Andrew said miserably. "This was my last chance. He more or less said I wasn't to come back without this shipment... And since the chances of that are looking slim, I'm guessing I won't be heading back to Venomia City anytime soon."

Venomia City, the capital for planet Venom, was where Lord Andross lived. Once an eccentric but brilliant scientist, he had become completely mad over time... He'd been in and out of a body multiple times, often opting to be just a giant-sized head and pair of hands.

Andrew wasn't sure what his uncle looked like nowadays... He'd only spoken to him through holomessages, of late, and they always showed only his head when he spoke. Andross had been strange, as well, lately... Well, stranger than usual. Andrew suspected something was wrong. Perhaps it was Star Fox, or even Wolf's move for independence. Or maybe it was something more.

Regardless, Andrew wasn't sure he even wanted to go back... His uncle was seeming less likely to protect him, if worst came to worst.

"I can't speak for the boss, but... Helping now would better your chances, man," Kay-Tee said, shrugging. "So, come on! We need to hurry."

Andrew nodded, and followed him, carrying the duffel full of weapons. The two snuck quietly down the corridor, and back toward the docking bay. Reaching it, Kay-Tee peeked around the corner, then immediately pulled his head back.

"He's in there!" he whispered.

"Who?"

"The Ancient Minister."

*****

"It... Is... Time!" the Ancient Minister exclaimed. "The... Countdown... Will... Now... Begin!"

He moved to a computer panel, which was patched into the computer system of the _|_33+ Hacker_, by CT64. After typing in a command, the computer began to speak.

_"Name?"_ the system asked.

"Ancient... Minister..."

_"Voice pattern confirmed. Ancient Minister of Enniess. Password?"_

"Odyssey..."

_"Password confirmed. Begin countdown?"_

"Master, are you certain that this is right? All of those people will die!" CT64 interrupted.

The Ancient Minister turned slowly to face his assistant, and his bright yellow eyes seemed to bore holes into the droid.

"You... Would... Question... Me?" he asked, his mechanical-sounding voice developing an edge. "I... Am... Your... Liege... Lord!"

"Yes, but... Master... The innocent sentients..."

"ENOUGH!" the Ancient Minister boomed. "No... Price... Is... Too... Great... For... Enniess... And... Our... Success!"

CT64 glanced over at Wolf, then back at his master. He then bowed.

"Yes, my lord," he said, and stepped to the side. "Forgive me."

Wolf frowned... Was he really giving in? He shook his head, then glanced to the side. He caught sight of a beaky face peeking around the corner from inside the ship. It disappeared quickly, but Wolf knew who it was. Kay-Tee with the weapons... And possibly Andrew.

He hoped they would stay put just a little longer... He wanted to be free of the shackles before their plan was discovered. Wolf thought he knew what tricks the Ancient Minister had up his sleeves... The diminuitive tyrant was much more dangerous than the others could possibly imagine.

_"Begin countdown?" _the computer asked again.

"Yes..." replied the Minister.

On every display panel in the room, large red numbers appeared... And began ticking downward.

30:00 to star collapse...

29:59 to star collapse...

29:58 to star collapse...

The countdown had begun...

_End of Chapter Ten_


	11. Desperate Struggle

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

_Chapter Eleven : Desperate Struggle_

The moment that the Ancient Minister and CT64 stepped out of sight, Kay-Tee hurried into the room and up to Wolf.

"Boss, I know you said to wait, but I just wanted you to know that Andrew and I got the weapons!" he said, excitedly. "He's waiting back in the corridor... He's willing to help, and he wants back on the team."

Wolf snorted.

"Right," he said, shaking his head. "You tell him to stop worrying about a job, and worry about living through the next... Twenty seven minutes."

Kay-Tee glanced at the nearest computer panel, and shuddered.

"What's the plan, boss?" he asked.

"We need to figure out how to get free of these shackles... At least the ones on our legs," Wolf said, frowning. "We can still shoot even if our wrists are bound."

He leaned down, along with Kay-Tee and Pablo, to look at the chains around their ankles. They were held by small hooks, which had been drilled into the metal frame at the base of the wall.

"We sometimes use them to tie down fragile ships, if we're expecting a bumpy trip," Pablo said. "They're pretty strong... However, the chains aren't."

"I think a mild blaster bolt would weaken them enough to be easily broken," Wolf said, nodding. "If it wouldn't attract too much attention."

"Captain O'Donnell, why are you so worried about that shrimp?"

asked Zack. "Even if CT64 helps him, we outnumber them 6 to 2..."

"That 'shrimp', as you call him, is extremely powerful," Wolf said, shaking his head. "And besides, I think our original numbers might be a little lean... Just because Dox didn't see any other crew doesn't mean they aren't there."

"They're pretty quieft if they are," Mac said, glancing toward the doorway that led into the _|_33+ Hacker_. "Seems they would've come running when the incident with the Gruntling took place..."

"Maybe they're waiting for a command," said Wolf. "And until they get it, they're out of sight... Just biding their time." He shrugged, then looked down at the chains again. "Kay-Tee, get one of the pistols from Andrew, and bring it back..."

Kay-Tee hurried off, and was back a moment later. Wolf took the gun, and thumbed the setting down to one above stun. He set it to 'Silencer Mode', and hoped for the best. 'Silencer Mode' would mute the initial blast entirely, but Wolf knew that the impact it made would echo through the metallic walls of the docking bay.

"El, keep a wary eye on those doors," Pablo warned.

"Okay," El Boton replied. "I'll sing out at the first shadow I see move..."

Wolf held his breath, and fired. To his amazement, it made little noise at all... And it melted the chain halfway through! Grunting, Wolf gave the chain a harsh tug. It snapped in two, freeing his legs!

"Okay, four more, and-"

"Stop, he's coming!" El snapped, but it was too late.

"Going... Somewhere... O'Donnell?" the Ancient Minister asked, gliding into the room.

Wolf glared at the short, cloaked figure.

"I'm taking you down, you lunatic," he snarled. "And then I'll stop your little bomb..."

"It's... Too... Late..." the Minister said, shaking his head. "The... Countdown... Cannot... Be... Stopped... By... The... Likes... Of... You. Only... A... Mastermind... Of... Technology... Could... Manage... It."

Wolf raised the pistol.

"We'll worry about that later," he said, pulling the trigger.

In a blur, the Ancient Minister whipped off his cloak, and brought up a glowing, green lightsaber. He caught the blaster bolt on the lightsaber's edge, and deflected it back at Wolf.

Wolf nimbly leaped to the side, and threw himself behind a stack of crates. Pablo and his men did likewise after having their chains blasted. They took shelter behind a larger stack of crates. Kay-Tee was beside Wolf in an instant, wanting to know what to do.

"Stay down," Wolf said sternly. "We've already taken too many hits as a team... No need to be stupid about it. Signal to Andrew, if you can, to get his rear in here... You guys need the guns." He paused, then said, "I have to face the Minister one on one."

"But how?" asked Kay-Tee.

"I need to get the lightsaber I used earlier, and..." he chanced a look around the crates. "I see it on the work table near the door into the _|_33+ Hacker_. I'm going to rush out, draw the Minister away from these crates, and then get that lightsaber. That's when you need to get Andrew in here! I have a feeling the Minister's aides are about to arrive..."

Without another word, Wolf leapt over the crate in front of him, and started running. The Ancient Minister was ahead of him, holding his lightsaber. Without his cloak, he was revealed to be a robot...

He had a round, flat base, which apparently had some sort of hovering ability. A spindly 'spine' led up to equally spindly arms, and a head that was rather like a pair of binoculars, with glowing lights instead of lenses. But weak though he looked, he radiated power as he shot forward, swinging the lightsaber.

Wolf quickly dodge to the side, then jumped forward, rolling and sliding across the floor. He nearly crashed into the table he was aiming for, but caught the edge, got to his feet, and grabbed the lightsaber. Spinning around, turning it on as he brought it up, Wolf immediately blocked a swipe from the Minister!

Any advantage that Wolf's height may have offered him was out the proverbial window... The Minister was floating two feet off the floor, and his arms seemed to have lengthened.

"Nice trick, but you're still a bucket of bolts!" Wolf said, dodging to the side, parrying several blows. The Minister said nothing now, he was so focused on killing Wolf.

Pablo and the others watched in awe, as the two traded blow after blow. Kay-Tee had to go and wrench the bag of weapons away from Andrew, who was paralyzed at the sight of the duel. He then turned back, to look at the battle, but his eyes were drawn to something else...

Out of the _|_33+ Hacker_, and into the _NinsonX_, came the 'aides' that Wolf had thought were coming. Indeed... The dozen miniature versions of the Ancient Minister looked ready for a fight. They underlined this by shooting powerful laser blasts from their eyes!

Kay-Tee barely had time to dive behind the crates, before the tops of the crates began to splinter from the impacts. The young pilot passed out the weapons, and the men got to a kneeling position. From there they could duck out and fire.

Wolf and the Minister were dueling hard, Wolf realizing that Emm had been nowhere near as powerful as this short, robotic tyrant. He also realized that unless he did some damage, the Minister would not tire. Lunging forward, Wolf tried to get in a jab at the Minister's free arm, but as quick as he moved, the Minister was quicker.

Spinning in midair, the Minister blocked the attack, and countered, aiming a blow at Wolf's head! Wolf's instincts told him to twist away, and it saved his life. However, the very tip of the Minister's lightsaber caught Wolf's eyepiece. The circuitry in it overloaded, and gave Wolf a very painful shock.

Staggering to the side, Wolf tore the eyepiece off, and tossed it aside. Now, turning one good eye, and one solid white eye (surrounded by singed fur), toward the Minister, Wolf glared, and said, "You're gonna pay for that!" He lunged forward with new aggression, forcing the Minister to hover backwards several feet. But a voice in the back of his mind told Wolf that he didn't have long...

Or maybe it was the monitors.

20:32 before star collapse...

20:31 before star collapse...

20:30 before star collapse...

While Wolf was barely surviving, his comrades were... Barely surviving. They'd managed to take out only two robots, and the rest were still blasting away consistently at the stack of crates, which was teetering ominously. Pablo, Mac, El, and Zack were finding it hard to fire accurately with the shackles... And Kay-Tee just wasn't the best shot. He was a better pilot, and an even better technician.

Andrew was cowering down behind another stack of crates. He'd dived for cover upon seeing the robots, and wasn't doing a thing to help. Kay-Tee understood why he had gotten fired, now. The guy was pathetic. He spared a moment to glance back at Wolf, and his breath caught in his throat at what he saw.

"ARGH!" Wolf exclaimed, painfully, as his free arm recieved a harsh, glancing blow. It was the same arm that Emm had nicked earlier, and now it was hanging uselessly at his side. Wolf knew he was lucky not to have lost it, but this wasn't the time for counting his blessings.

Stumbling back, trying to catch his breath, Wolf held his lightsaber in guard position. The Minister kept pressing his advantage, wailing away at Wolf's lightsaber.

The stack of crates was teetering forward and back more and more, forcing those hiding behind them to reevaluate the situation.

"We need a new hiding place!" Pablo exclaimed, ducking as a laser blast almost took his head off.

"There's none left, unless we head for the _NinsonX_'s interior," Mac reasoned. "Assuming we made it to the doorway alive."

"Thanks for cheering us up, Mac," Zack said again, making a face.

As the stack of crates leaned toward the group dangerously, they prepared to make a break for it. But, suddenly, El had an idea. He crawled back a few feet, then partially stood up. Lunging forward, he slammed into the stack of crates with his shoulder.

He had time it perfectly, as the crates leaned back toward the center of the room... The entire stack of crates crashed down, well away from Kay-Tee and the others. Consequently, it also smashed about half of the remaining robots!

El was praised for his quick thinking, but there was little time for celebration. They quickly took places, each of them, behind solitary crates. The remaining robots were taken aback by this surprise move, and were, in turn, in prime position to be blasted.

But, even as the tide was turning back in his comrades' favor, Wolf's efforts were failing. He tried to get some space between him and the Minister, but the close he got to the robot aides, the more chanced he'd have of being shot, either by them, or by his friends. So, he tried to edge around the group, continuing to block and parry.

This almost worked, but only a short distance from the doorway that led into the _|_33+ Hacker_ Wolf tripped over a fallen robot! He fell to the floor of the docking bay hard, his injuries painfully protesting. Looking up, he saw the Ancient Minister lunging downward!

Wolf rolled to the side, as the lightsaber seared a groove into the floor. The Minister came at him again, and Wolf sprang sideways, crashing painfully into a wall. He groaned, trying to get up, but only managing to reach his knees. He raised his lightsaber, but the blow that the Minister delivered was enough to wrench it from his hand, and send it clattering away!

Wolf looked up into the glowing eyes, knowing what was to come.

As the last robot aide fell, the charge ran out on the weapons that Kay-Tee and the others were using. It had been dwindling more and more, but thankfully they'd had enough. Or had they? Pablo caught sight of Wolf, just as his lightsaber was batted away. The pilot of the _NinsonX _raised his pistol, aimed at the Minister, and fired. But nothing happened... The pistol was dead.

The Ancient Minister adjusted a setting on his lightsaber, and the glowing beam seemed to solidify, somewhat. Wolf was puzzled by this, but the Minister explained.

"A... More... Concentrated... Beam... Does... Not... Disintegrate... The... Target..." he said. "It... Brings... Much... More... Pain... And... A... Slow... Death."

Wolf tensed his muscles, waiting for a moment, a chance to spring forward, to grapple for the lightsaber. But his body was tired, and his left arm wouldn't even respond at all. He felt older than he had ever felt in his life... And like his life was about to end.

"My liege... I cannot allow this!"

Every head turned to see CT64, who had disappeared when the fight had begun, now standing in the doorway leading to the _|_33+ Hacker,_ with a blaster rifle in his hands.

"You... Stupid... Droid..." the Minister said, in his monotonous tone. "You... Would... Have... Been... At... My... Side... And... Acchieved... Greatness!"

"Not at this price, my liege," CT64 said firmly. "Put down the lightsaber, and stop the countdown."

The nearest display read '15:12 before star collapse'... Time was

running out.

The Minister looked at his former assistant, his eyes glowing red now, his grip tightening on his lightsaber. He was angry... Furious, actually... That his underling would turn on him in this way.

"You... Will... Regret... This... Mistake... CT64..."

As the Minister made a move to the right, CT64 pulled the trigger on his rifle. He failed to recognize the feint his master was using, and his shot missed the tyrant completely. It did not, however, miss Mac Banno. The crew member was running forward, planning on leaping at the Minister as a distraction, but he never made it.

The full force of CT64's blast coursed through his body, lifting him off his feet, and hurling him against the far wall. The droid was shocked, and the rifle fell from his hands. Then, the Minister plunged his lightsaber into the circuit computer in CT64's chest. Sparks flew as the weapon was wrenched free again, and the droid fell to the floor, flames erupting from his chest. His eyes grew dim, and finally blinked out.

Wolf felt a burst of energy, anger welling inside of him from seeing Mac and CT64 fall while trying to help... Just like Mumbo had. His good eye was ablaze, rage coursing through his veins, as he leapt at the Minister, claws out, ready to tear the robotic despot apart.

Kay-Tee watched, his eyes wide as saucers, as the Minister spun around quickly, holding his lightsaber forward. Wolf felt the lightsaber enter his stomach, just below his heart, and he also felt it burst out his back. His insides felt like molten lava, and then everything started to go black.

Wolf faintly heard Kay-Tee and the others yelling... He heard the cold mechanical laugh of the Minister... And he felt himself hit the floor with a thud. And then... He remembered no more.

13:44 before star collapse...

*****

_(Meanwhile, back at the base...)_

At the very moment that Mumbo's wand had broken, as he had been preparing to leave in his ship, the spells he had recently made came undone. That meant that the shadowboxing plant stiffened, and became a normal plant again, just as it had begun to work on a rubber plant in the interview room.

It also meant that Panther and Mafefe were turned back to normal.

It came as a shock to both of them... Mafefe was suddenly human again, sitting on Wolf's desk, blinking his now normal eyes. Panther found himself curled in a ball near the front entrance.

Mafefe hopped off the desk, stretched, and looked around. He made his way slowly out of the door, and into the corridor. He didn't hear anything, or anyone for that matter, so he started down the corridor.

Panther had risen, painfully, to his feet, fighting the urge to arch his back as he did so. Footsteps caught his attention, and he spun, claws out, ready to kill.

It was Mafefe. He looked at Panther's lethal pose, and made a face.

"I find that highly offensive," he said.

Panther relaxed,

"And who are you?" he asked.

"Mafefe. Who are you?"

"I thought everyone knew who I was. I'm Panther Caruso. I'm a famous pilot, and quite famous with ladies throughout the universe, as well."

Mafefe blinked.

"You're pretty arrogant for a furry," he said, boredly. "So, where did Wolf go? And that crazy skull-faced guy who turned me into a rock?"

"I, too, was ambushed by the shaman," Panther said, with distaste. "I had to endure the embarrassment of being the team mascot!"

"I was a paperweight," Mafefe said, frowning. "With googly eyes."

"Oh, dear... Poor fellow," Panther said, raising an eyebrow. "That must have been... Unusual."

"I just want to get out of this place, and-"

"Now, now, what's the rush, my little friend?" Panther said, hurriedly. "As I was about to say, the captain and his group left, and there happens to be only one other person here."

"Why should that keep me from leaving?"

"Because, former paperweight, it means that we can do as we please to Wolf's headquarters," Panther said, smugly. "The only person left behind was that absurd little hole-digger, Lazlo. He's easily the wimpiest person I've ever seen... I believe we can dispose of him, and be free to commandeer this base."

Mafefe nodded slowly.

"I understand," he said. "So where is this... Lazlo... Now?"

"In the computer room," Panther said, leading the way. "We should be able catch him completely by surprise."

*****

Lazlo was seated at a computer, waiting for word from Kain or Wolf, and eating ice cream. He'd just taken a particularly large bite, when the screen in front of him came to life. It was an incoming holomessage! Lazlo almost choked, but immediately accepted it, and entered a command that would record and save the conversation.

_"Star Wolf base? This is Kain Frederick."_

"Gro ruhged, Grain Fwedick..." Lazlo said, gagging on ice cream. He swallowed, then repeated, "Go ahead, Kain Frederick. This is Lazlo at Star Wolf base!"

Kain was a young, human fellow, and the pilot/spy friend of Dox.

_"I have that info I promised Dox,"_ he said. _"Apparently Icis Mazza, Gled and Grye Jinnore, SUB36, and Queen Mandara, are all very powerful people, from around the universe. They seem to know each other, yet, apparently, each has their own realm that they govern."_

Lazlo nodded, as if he knew what Kain was talking about. He didn't, of course.

"Right, so... How is that important to the boss?" he asked, airily.

_"Well, your boss might like to know that those five are teaming up with General Pepper, Star Fox, and the Cornerian forces."_

"Why?"

_"To take on Andross, apparently,"_ Kain said, glancing around, as if afraid to be caught. _"From what I gathered, Andross has gone off the deep end in a big way... Bigger than usual, actually. Icis seems to think that he's even dipping into the occult now... Black magic, and the like."_

Lazlo whistled. He might not have a clue what this guy was talking about, but he knew that black magic was dangerous and scary business.

_"Look, I'd better go," _Kain said. _"I don't want to get caught divulging information to one of McCloud's worst enemies... They might lock me up for treason, or something. I'll message back if anything new happens. Kain, out."_

Lazlo saluted, as the screen went black once more. He then stopped the recording. It would be awaiting Wolf's viewing, when he arrived back at the base. Getting out of the chair, and picking up his empty bowl, Lazlo turned to leave the room... He felt he'd earned another bowl of ice cream before he commed Wolf.

He stopped short, however, and his bowl fell to the floor, breaking. Standing in the doorway were two figures... One tall, purple, felinoid, and very menacing looking... The other shorter, human, and looking somewhat bored.

"And where do you think you're going, little marshmallow man?" Panther asked, sneering.

"Um... Just to take a nap..." Lazlo said, wishing he hadn't left his shovel at the entrance.

"I think that's a good idea... Perhaps... Even a permanent nap?" Panther laughed evilly, as he stalked forward, claws outward. Mafefe simply smirked. Lazlo swallowed hard, his small frame shaking, as Panther drew near.

_End of Chapter Eleven_


	12. Haunting Memories

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

_Chapter Twelve : Haunting Memories_

It was like a bad dream... It was so impossible, it couldn't possibly be real, and yet... Wolf O'Donnell lay, still and bleeding, on the floor. For all intents and purposes, he appeared dead.

Kay-Tee shook off the shock, and made a move to rush forward, but a small figure ran by him at top speed.

"OOOOBANACKAAAA!"

"What... Is... This?"

A bolt of electricity shot through the air, and struck it's target directly. The resulting explosion had bits and pieces of robotic machinery raining down on the group's heads. When the smoke cleared, it was quite apparent... The Ancient Minister of Enniess was no more.

Kay-Tee blinked his eyes, staring at the person who had appeared, shock apparent on his face. The person was kneeling by Wolf, who was bleeding profusely. The young pilot was now torn between different shocks... The shock of seeing Wolf in that condition, and the shock of seeing Mumbo Jumbo come back from the dead.

"M-mumbo? How...?"

"Mumbo have Golden Banjo in pocket that Mumbo almost forgot," the skull-faced shaman said hurriedly. "But no time for reunion, Kaz Tee Man... Wolf Man in bad way."

Kay-Tee glanced at the nearest computer panel, and grimaced... They were all in a bad way.

13:21 before star collapse...

Pablo hurried up to Kay-Tee. He had briefly checked on Mac before coming over... There was nothing he could do for him. Mac Banno was gone... But there might still be a chance for Wolf.

"Is he all right?" he asked. "Wait... Isn't that... Wasn't he...?"

"Mumbo, yeah, he's alive," Kay-Tee said, nodding. "But I dunno about the boss... He looks... Real bad." He paused, then asked, "Can you help him?"

"Maybe... I'll go get the Bacta!" Pablo said, then dashed away, glad to be kept busy, and not think of his fallen friend.

Kay-Tee glanced down at CT64, and shook his head sadly. It was obvious the droid was past saving, as the fire continued to burn away at his circuitry. He looked the other way, and saw Zack and El leaning over the fallen figure of Mac, looking miserable.

_"Why did this have to happen?"_ he wondered. _"It's just like... No... I can't think about that... Not now."_ At least Mumbo was alive... Something positive had happened in the last five minutes, anyway.

A moment later, Mumbo and Pablo were working to save Wolf. They bandaged his wounds, applied the Bacta, and Mumbo began murmuring words to a healing spell he knew of.

Kay-Tee watched nervously, from a few feet away. Someone walked up beside him, causing him to jump. He turned, and saw Andrew standing there, looking down at his former boss.

"You were useless, Andrew!" Kay-Tee snapped. "We needed your help! And look what happened!" He motioned towards Mac, then CT64, then finally down at Wolf. "Maybe one extra gun would've made the difference."

Andrew looked genuinely upset. He was staring down at Wolf, as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

"He... He's dying... Isn't he?" he murmured.

"I don't know," Kay-Tee said, shrugging. "Maybe..." He really hoped not...

"I... I wanted to help... I just... Couldn't..." Andrew said, his eyes never straying from Wolf. "But right up until the last moment... I really thought he was going to win out, you know? He always does... He always survives."

Kay-Tee started to say something, but just then, El Boton and Zack Vee came over to them.

"Um... I'm really sorry about Mac," Kay-Tee said, not sure what to say. "He was... Really brave."

El avoided looking Kay-Tee in the eye, and nodded. Zack, on the other hand, had a determined look in his eyes as he said, "There's time for grieving later... Mac would want us to survive, and letting what happened get us down isn't going to stop that counter over there."

11:03 before star collapse...

Kay-Tee could feel a familiar nervousness setting in... Somehow, he knew what was coming.

"You showed technical talent getting our weapons online," El added, "And according to Captain O'Donnell, you're something of a computer whiz..."

"We need your help," Zack said earnestly. "It's going to take all three of us to break the code."

Kay-Tee looked down at Wolf, then at the time ticking away...

"We can't do it without you, Kay-Tee."

...And the memories came flooding back.

*****

"We can't do it without you, kid."

"Aye, aye, chief!"

Kazzy (as he was known back then) saluted his commanding officer, Lieutenant Patrick. The two of them were with three others, on a special ops mission into an enemy base.

The Vista Wars had been going on for some time now, and Kazzy was one of the young tech/recon operatives that had been sent to infiltrate an enemy base, kill or disarm the soildiers found there, and hack into the supercomputer there to gain intelligence on the enemy's plans.

"We're counting on you to hack that supercomputer as fast as possible," Lt. Patrick told him. "The enemy will have backup arriving in large numbers, numbers we can't possibly face, and we need to be gone before they arrive."

Kazzy nodded. He'd done this a million times in training scenarios, and knew every trick, every shortcut... Nothing could phase him. Well, aside from being shot at while trying to _get to _the computer in question.

He tried to shake off the nerves, and focus on the next stage... They were already inside the camp... They just needed to enter the main building. There seemed to be only two guards between them and accomplishing that goal.

"Bluett! Mindo!" Lt. Patrick said sharply. "Take the one that just disappeared around the far corner. Gogeta, you take the one at the side entrance there, and be sure you get his keycard."

Bluett and Mindo hurried off, sticking to the shadows, to do as instructed. Gogeta nodded once, then seemed to simply disappear... He was one of the best special ops agents in the army, and moved silently, invisibly, and lethally.

Lt. Patrick waited until he saw the guard at the side door disappear, then started forward. Kazzy was right behind him, blaster in hand, eyes searching out every shadow.

Reaching the door, they saw no sign of the guard, but Gogeta was holding the keycard. Mindo and Bluett came hurrying forward just then as well.

"Out of commission," Mindo said, breathlessly.

"And out of sight," Bluett added.

"Good," said Lt. Patrick. "Gogeta, swipe the keycard, then hand it to Kazzy."

Gogeta swiped the card, and the doors swished open, revealing a lighted corridor. He then handed the card to Kazzy, who stuck it in a pocket on his utility belt. He might have a use for it later.

"Now... Gogeta, you and I go first, then Kazzy, then Mindo and Bluett at the rear," Lt. Patrick said quickly, though they'd been over this a hundred times. "And remember, our main job is to get the kid to the computer station, guard him until he gets what we need, then get him out alive. That's it. No matter the cost, so long as one of us gets him out."

The others nodded gravely, then the headed inside. They had expected conflict immediately, but apparently the enemy was getting lax. No sign of guards, or workers, met the special ops team's eyes. Having studied a schematic of the building, the group headed quickly to the main computer room.

Gogeta slipped in first, and sounds of a brief scuffle met the others' ears. Then he was back at the door, beckoning them in. Kazzy hurriedly rushed to the huge computer system, it's monitor covering the entire wall and displaying images from camera all around the base.

"Get to work, kid," Lt. Patrick said tersely.

Kazzy began typing away at the keys, trying to open the main archives. He found them blocked, as he had expected. he would have to decypher the password, or find a way to bypass the lock. Numbers and letters flashed wildly across the screen. Most people would have been dizzy from the effort, but this was where Kazzy was most comfortable. Not out in the field... At a computer.

"Ugh... They put up quite a defense around this one," Kazzy muttered. "But I should get it... Give me a few minutes."

Bluett and Mindo were positioned on either side of him. Gogeta was by the door, peering out every few seconds. Lt. Patrick paced the floor in the center of the room, holding his blaster tightly. Nobody spoke, not wanting to distract the young pilot... They knew this was critical.

A little less than five minutes went by, and suddenly Kazzy let out a low whoop of excitement.

"Yeah, got it!" he said. "Now-..." He trailed off, then exclaimed, "Aw, man! They encrypted these things! I won't know which is which!"

"Download them all to the flash drive," Lt. Patrick said quickly. "We can decypher them later."

"And make it fast, we've got company!" Gogeta interjected.

He took a step back from the door, drawing a katana from his belt. Lt.

Patrick dropped to one knee, training his blaster on the door. Bluett and Mindo stood side-by-side, guns pointing forward, forming a shield to block Kazzy from harm.

Kazzy just kept his eyes on the download indicator... It was moving slowly, but there were so many files... If only he could tell which were the ones they needed. But they had to wait it out.

Just then, the sound of footsteps rang in the corridor. By the sounds of it, there were quite a few of them, too. The first of them stupidly charged around the corner, and into the room. He barely had time to register the katana slicing into him before he died.

Two more had been on his heels, and skidded to a stop, framed in the doorway. Mindo and Lt. Patrick brought them down with blaster shots quickly. No one else tried running into the room.

"Come on out, we've got you surrounded!" a voice yelled from down the hallway.

"Come in after us!" Gogeta called back.

All was quiet in the corridor for several moments, and Kazzy relaxed somewhat. Maybe they'd back off, and give them a chance to run for it, once the download was complete. Maybe...

A strange sound caught his attention, causing him to spin the desk chair around. It sounded like a ball rolling across the floor... A metallic ball.

Kazzy's eyes widened.

"Grenade!" he exclaimed.

Gogeta and Lt. Patrick spun around, looking down. Bluett and Mindo were already staring at it. From there, everything seem to happen in slow motion.

As Bluett and Mindo leapt to either side of the room, throwing their arms over their heads, Gogeta was reaching to grab the grenade and throw it. Kazzy reached out and grabbed the flash drive, just as the indicator showed the download was complete. Lt. Patrick lunged forward, and grabbed Kazzy, throwing him to the floor.

Gogeta rolled forward, holding the grenade in his hands. He misjudged the move slightly, however, and crashed into the chair. The grenade slipped from his grasp, and rolled right in front of Lt. Patrick!

Kazzy admired the quick thinking and steely courage of his leader, as the man scooped up the grenade, and toward the door, yelling, "Get Kazzy and that flash drive out of here!" He then dived through the door, and disappeared in the direction of the waiting soldiers. There were several shots, two screams, and then... An explosion.

Bluett, Mindo, and Kazzy got shakily to their feet, in shock. Gogeta was already up, and grabbed Kazzy, lifting him off the floor easily (Gogeta was over seven feet tall). He looked at the other two and said, "You heard the man, let's go!" He led the way into the corridor, carrying Kazzy like a sack of flour, with Bluett and Mindo on his heels.

Smoke filled the corridor, but the special ops team headed in the direction they knew the door was. Soon they were crashing against it... And yet... It wouldn't budge! They started pounding on it, but it wouldn't give.

"Stop!" Kazzy exclaimed, from Gogeta's arm. "That won't do it... Let me down!"

Gogeta set him down, and the tech fished the keycard from his utility belt. He reached up to swipe it, but a shot rang out, and a blaster bolt hit the door's datapad dead center!

The group ducked, and Bluett, Mindo, and Gogeta pulled their guns, firing off several shots back behind them. A few must've found their mark, from the cries of pain, but with all the smoke, it was impossible to tell. Kazzy chanced standing again, wondering if the datapad would even register the card, with it's damage.

He swiped the keycard, and held his breath. To his dismay, the door only opened about six inches! He swiped the card again, but a shower of sparks burst from the datapad... It was fried.

"The door won't open any further!" Kazzy exclaimed to his comrades.

While Bluett and Mindo kept firing, Gogeta turned to evaluate the situation. He was calm and collected, as he almost always was, and he immediately saw the solution.

"You can squeeze through," he said quickly. "Go! Stick to the shadows, make your way to the transport, and get that flash drive back to the Colonel Wake."

Kazzy started to protest, but a shot came perilously close to them, and Gogeta just grabbed the young tech, and shoved him through the narrow gap. Kazzy popped out the other side, and landed in the dirt. Getting to his feet, he looked back through the gap.

"Go!" Gogeta yelled again.

The sound of more shots being fired met Kazzy's ears, and he thought he heard Bluett yell out in pain. Kazzy knew he had to go, the Colonel needed the info on the flash drive. So, he started running toward the nearest patch of shadows.

Behind him, he faintly heard a familiar sound of something metallic rolling forward. Kazzy looked back behind him quickly, just as an explosion shook the doors! Flames and smoke shot through the gap he had exited through only moments before.

Kazzy fought back a tear as he forced himself forward once more, reaching the shadows, just as the base's floodlights came on, illuminating the area. But determination fueled by grief was propelling the young tech, and he wasn't seen by his pursuers. He reached the transport, started it up, and took off into the sky.

Looking down at the base one last time, he promised himself he'd decode the flash drive, help the Alliance win the war, and then quit... And find work somewhere far away from that place. Far away from somewhere where slight changes in politics could spell the death of four brave soldiers.

He needed a new life...

*****

"Kay-Tee! Snap out of it, man! We need your help!"

Kay-Tee shook himself, and looked around. There was Wolf, bloody and broken, with Mumbo and Pablo hard at work trying to save his life. And there was Mac, with a jacket now covering his face.

Turning, Kay-Tee found the source of the yelling. El was a few feet away from him, looking at him as if he were crazy for just standing there. Zack was focused on the panel he was working at, trying to input codes with a holo-keyboard.

"Come on, Kay-Tee!" El said again, waving toward another computer panel. "There's not much time left!"

He was right, Kay-Tee saw... They were running out of time.

7:42 before star collapse...

7:41 before star collapse...

7:40 before star collapse...

How long had he been standing there, remembering? He'd wasted so much time... This wasn't the past. This wasn't special ops. This was his life... All of their lives... Billions of lives... Depending on three people cracking a code, and stopping a countdown.

Kay-Tee hurried over to the panel, and brought up a holo-keyboard.

"Okay, guys, let's get to work," he said, as El rushed to a third panel. "Look for innacuracies, missing lines, patterns... When something jumps out at you, let me know!"

"I can help," said a voice coming from the direction of the fourth and final panel. Kay-Tee spared a second to glance over, and was surprised to see Andrew. The apish former Star Wolf member began scanning code immediately... Apparently, he had hidden talents.

"Let's do this!" Kay-Tee said, more to himself than anyone else, as he returned his gaze to the panel before him.

And still the time ticked away...

6:59 before star collapse...

_End of Chapter Twelve_


	13. 00:01 Before Star Collapse

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

_Chapter Thirteen : __**0:01**____before star collapse..._

Every second that went by was another nail in their coffins. The four hackers knew this quite well, but they focused on the job at hand. It was all they could do. Yet, they couldn't help glancing at the timer every few seconds.

6:54 before star collapse...

"C'mon, c'mon," Andrew Oikonny was murmuring to himself. He'd shaken off the fear and shock that had paralyzed him before, and was now hard at work, attempting to aid Kay-Tee, El Boton, and Zack Vee in cracking the code, and stopping the star collapse. Hacking and piloting were the only things he was confident doing.

Meanwhile, Mumbo Jumbo and Pablo G. Pym were hard at work trying to save Wolf O'Donnell. The Star Wolf team leader was laying on the floor of the docking bay, bloody and battered, unconscious, and barely breathing.

Pablo was applying Bacta treatments to Wolf's wounds, and Mumbo was murmuring spell after spell, using every shaman healing trick he knew... And yet, Wolf's vitals continually dropped. Pablo was beginning to think that Wolf was past saving... But Mumbo wouldn't quit trying, and so, the pilot of the _NinsonX _wouldn't either.

El cursed under his breath, as yet another override code he was trying failed. Zack was having similar luck, fighting the urge to smash the panel in front of him. Kay-Tee, however, was calmly and deliberately entering codes and commands at a rapid-fire pace. He knew what to do, but it took time... Time they were running out of.

5:32 before star collapse...

*****

Little did any of them in the docking bay know, but a single-person ship had landed and docked via a side port on the _NinsonX_. A small figure wearing a lab coat, and carrying a small black bag, exited the craft, staggering slightly, and made his way down a corridor. He stopped outside of an open doorway, and peered inside.

The room contained four Bacta-healing tanks, two of which were occupied. The person in the lab coat stumbled forward, and looked at one of the occupants. The Anthro-Lynx's vitals showed he was 100% again.

"Hmm... *HIC* Lesshee now... Sheems to me he should be *HIC* let out now," the new arrival said, his words slurred and mumbled. "%$#, what button ish it again? Wait... Yesh... Thish should do the *HIC* trick."

The Bacta levels dropped, and the tank door opened. Steam poured out, but quickly vanished. The person inside blinked his eyes, and stepped out onto the floor.

"Who... Who are you?" he asked, squinting at the person who had released him.

"$#%&, it talks... *HIC* I'm the doctor, shonny," the odd little man replied. "Dr. Kab Lamooie, to be precishe. *HIC*"

"Dr.... Kab?"

"That's what I *HIC* shaid, you &%$# little &$%!" Kab said, angrily. "Anywaysh, who are you?"

"Paradox Author... My friends call me Dox."

Dox wasn't sure what was up with this guy, but he didn't like him. He turned to head for the door, but he spied the other healing tank, and hurried over to it.

"Arti!" he said, worriedly. "Is he all right, Dr. Kab?"

Kab shambled over to look at Arti's panel, then said, "He's worshe off than you were... *HIC* Bacta doeshn't sheem to be working with him. &%$# stuff is overrated."

Dox stared down at his friend's face, realizing with a start that it was one of the few times he's actually seen Arti outside of his mech suits. It was eerie, seeing him so still, under the blue haze of the Bacta.

"Can you do anything for him?" he asked.

"Hmm... Maybe... Maybe not," Kab said, shrugging. "I do know a few tricks. How %$# bad do you want him to live, shonny?"

"He's my friend and teammate," Dox replied. "I want you to do whatever it takes to save him."

Dr. Kab grinned crookedly.

"Then it's &$# lucky for you that the doctor is in, then, isn't it?" he said, chuckling darkly. "Get me some %$#& stim tea, so I can think..."

Dox came quite close to saying 'Get your own %$#& stim tea', but he realized he hadn't cursed in the fanfic thus far, so why start now? He went across the hall to the mini-kitchen, and soon returned with a pot of stim tea, and a mug.

After downing a cup, the little man's eyes cleared somewhat, and he straightened his posture.

"Now... Let's see what I can do," Kab said, cracking his knuckles.

Dox looked on anxiously, not sure if he trusted this guy, but knowing he was Arti's only chance.

*****

3:49 before star collapse...

"ARGH!" Zack exclaimed. "I thought I had it! There was a pattern forming, I know it was! All the numbers came up twice in a row, until right at the end."

Kay-Tee glanced over at him briefly, and said, "What number broke the chain?"

"The line that ended with 38 changed to ending with 47," Zack replied.

"Give me the input command you used," the young pilot instructed.

Zack did so, and Kay-Tee, El, and Andrew all tried it simultaneously once, then twice.

"Same result," El commented.

"And me..." Andrew said, scratching his head.

"Yeah, same," Kay-Tee added, squinting his eyes at the numbers.

Andrew entered the command a third time, on a whim, and gave a shout.  
"Hey! Same numbers, but they end in 56 this time!" he exclaimed.

Kay-Tee ran over to his panel, and looked at it. Sure enough, the pattern was there.

"But what does it mean?" he wondered aloud, as he dashed back to his own panel. "It's got to be a clue... Some sort of tell."

It changed by 9 every time... The command caused a near perfect repeat of coding, aside from the last number, which changed. Repeating the command in his head, something clicked into place.

"333 27 81 45 36, and so on... and then the number that changes, by 9," he murmured. "Yes... Yes! 9 is the key number!"

Zack caught on the fastest.

"3 plus 3 plus 3 is nine... 2 plus 7 is nine... They're all like that! They all make nine! Then, add on that the value of the coding brought up is altered by nine every time it's accessed!" He looked at Kay-Tee. "That's a lot of nines..."

"Too many," Kay-Tee said, nodding. "Can it possibly be this easy?"

He brought up the command prompt window once more... And simply entered the number nine. He held his breath... And then the page changed. He was now looking at a control panel!

2:26 before star collapse...

The others rushed over to look at his screen in amazement.

"You need a password and username to edit the control panel," Zack noted. They all returned to their panels, to bring up the same screen themselves and test passwords.

"The username has to be 'Ancient Minister'," Kay-Tee reasoned. "But what about the freaking password? Let's try something... User : Ancient Minister. Password : Cheese."

The screen flickered, then showed a message.

"'Incorrect password, Ancient Minister'," he read. "Well, we know the username is right..."

The group fell silent for a moment. What would be important to the Ancient Minister?

"He was from Enniess, right?" Andrew said, typing as he talked. "Maybe... No... Enniess is incorrect."

"Too simple," Zack said, making a face. "It's gotta be less obvious. Hey, maybe that droid of his?" Typing in 'CT64', however, also showed an error message. "Crud."

Kay-Tee was thinking hard, but in truth, he knew very little about the Ancient Minister, and even less about his homeland, Enniess. It was impossible to know what the crazy robot would have used as a password.

1:04 before star collapse...

"Man, are we basic or what?!?" El said, slapping his forehead. "He used a password in front of us to initiate this, remember?" El quickly typed in 'Odyssey', grinning. The grin slid off his face as an error message popped up.

"Guess that only worked for initiating it," Kay-Tee reasoned. "Man, I wish we knew more about this guy! What was he all about?"

Suggestions started flying.

"World domination?"

"Robots?"

"Tyranny?"

"The fifth dimension?"

Kay-Tee looked up in surprise at Andrew.

"Say, that's right!" he exclaimed. "He was trying to get into the fifth dimension!"

The group immediately began typing like mad, using the fifth dimension for inspiration. Sadly, nothing they tried was correct. Nothing gave them access to the CP.

0:48 before star collapse...

Kay-Tee was fighting the urge to panic. This was all going horribly wrong. He'd hack into the control panel, and yet, he didn't know the password. He couldn't think of anything else to try. They were all going to die... Them, and billions of others.

El walked over to Zack, and held out his hand.

"Been nice working with you, pal," he said, shaking his friend's hand.

"Yeah... You, too," Zack said, nodding.

Kay-Tee looked over at Wolf, seeing Mumbo and Pablo finally give up. His eyes widened, as he asked, "Why are you stopping?"

Mumbo shook his head sadly, and Pablo said, "I'm afraid it's up to him now..."

But Kay-Tee knew it didn't matter, really... In less than a minute,

they'd be just so much anti-matter. Andrew sighed, and sat down on the floor, his back to the wall, his head in his hands. Even though he'd made an effort, it was too little, too late.

Kay-Tee sat down on the floor beside his captain.

"I'm sorry, boss..." he murmured. "I'm sorry..."

"Hey, what's all the hubbub? What's with the blinking numbers?"

Kay-Tee looked up in surprise as Dox entered the room, and stopped to stare at a computer panel. He hopped to his feet, and hurried over to him.

0:11 before star collapse...

"We need a password to stop the countdown, but we're out of ideas," he said. "We thought it might have to do with the fifth dimension, as that was important to the Minister, but-"

"Did you try the name of his ship?" Dox asked.

"We... what? His ship?" Kay-Tee asked, surprised. "I don't know the name of his ship..."

"I saw it when he arrived," Dox said, nonchalantly, not understanding the importance of all of this. "It was... Uhh..."

0:07 before star collapse...

"...the _Dimension V_... Yeah, that's it."

Kay-Tee shoved Dox aside and typed in 'Dimension V'... The CP came up, and a warning indicator read 'Countdown almost complete... Press 1 to stop, or 2 to initiate warp speed into portal.'

He jabbed the 1 key fiercely, and his breath caught in his throat as he stared at the timer...

_**0:01**__** before star collapse...**_

...And saw that it was now frozen.

Kay-Tee fell backwards, landing on his back on the floor, laughing uncontrollably. Zack and El let out whoops of joy, and began dancing and stomping about. Andrew grinned, and pumped his fist in the air. Mumbo let out a quick bark of laughter. Pablo exhaled a breath he had been holding, and turned his attention back to Wolf.

Dox stared at Kay-Tee, then Zack, El, and Andrew, wondering what in the world they were so excited about. He had not yet noticed Wolf.

Kay-Tee fought back his laughter, and looked up at his confused friend.

"If we hadn't stopped that countdown, the star we're currently orbiting would've collapsed, and formed a black hole, destroying us and billions of others." He grinned. "Thanks to you, we avoided that." Kay-Tee then laughed again.

Dox let that sink in, the looked at the frozen 0:01.

"For the love of Pete... You've gotta be kidding me," he muttered. Kay-Tee shook his head, still laughing, and Dox's eyes grew wide. "I'm glad I didn't know that before, then... I'd never have been able to remember the ship's name under that kind of pressure."

He fought the urge to faint, shaking his head slightly, then he finally looked down, to see Pablo and Mumbo. They were leaning over someone. "Who...?" Dox took a step forward, then saw Wolf's bloody and broken form. "Cap!" He hurried over. "Is he okay?" he asked of Pablo.

"It's like I said to Kay-Tee, it's up to Wolf now," Pablo replied, shrugging.

"Not necessarily," Dox said, spinning on his heel and heading back into the _NinsonX_. "I've gotta get Dr. Kab!"

"Dr. who?" Kay-Tee asked, confused.

"Oooo-weee-oooooooooh, weeeeeee-ooooh?"

"No, not him," Zack said, smirking at Andrew, who in turn looked disappointed.

The group then turned their attention back to Wolf, the happiness of the earlier moment fading. They'd done the job he wanted them to do, but... He might never see the success. CT64 and Mac Banno were already gone... Wolf would seemingly soon join them, as his breathing grew so shallow that Pablo could barely register it now.

"Come on, Wolf, fight..." Pablo said quietly.

"Yeah, boss, don't give up," said Kay-Tee.

"Wolf Man must try..." Mumbo quietly intoned.

"You can't die, you're too tough to die... Isn't that what you've always said?" Andrew added.

But Wolf did not stir... He just faded.

*****

"Argh!"

Wolf opened his eyes, and sat up suddenly, looking around. White... Everywhere he looked, he saw white. Getting to his feet, he noted that his pain had vanished... How, he didn't know.

"Where in Hades am I?" he wondered aloud.

"Not Hades," said a voice behind him. "Not yet, anyway."

Wolf whirled, and saw a familiar young human.

"I know you, don't I?" he asked.

"Yes, we met at your base, once," the person said. "I'm Josh."

"Oh, right... The pamphlet guy," Wolf said, remembering. "Wait, didn't D say you worked for him or something?"

"With him," Josh said, nodding. "Yes. I'm a messenger... I was supposed to help you before, but... Eh. I think we know how well that went."

"Right... Sorry," Wolf said, shrugging. "I was in a bad mood." He paused, then said, "Mind telling me where I am? Where's the ship, the Ancient Minister, and my men?"

Josh eyed him shrewdly.

"You don't remember, do you?" he asked. "You don't recall what happened during the fight?"

Wolf shrugged, and said, "Last thing I remember was... Pain... Lots of pain... And before that... Oh, wait. The lightsaber. Right. That hurt."

"I imagine so," Josh said. "It almost killed you... And it may yet. It depends..."

"On what?" Wolf asked.

"On the choice you make," Josh said. "You have to do something you wouldn't normally do, to get a second chance... You have to ask for help."

Wolf thought about that, then asked, "And what happens if I don't?"

"Then you try one of those doors," Josh said, motioning behind Wolf. "One you can enter, and one you cannot... Yet."

The Star Wolf commander turned, and saw two doors... One was made of gold, and the other was made of rusty metal. He felt himself being tugged in the direction of the rusty metal door, and had to fight just to keep his balance.

"You said... I had to ask for help to get a second chance," he said, swaying on his feet. "Help from who?"

"I suppose that's up to you, as well," Josh said, walking around to stand in front of Wolf again. "You have to make the right choice."

Wolf tore his eyes from the rusty metal door (realizing only then that he could see with both eyes now), and looked at Josh. The young man smiled slightly, then shrugged.

"It's up to you, now..."

Wolf looked at the golden door, wanting to feel the same drawing force that the other door had made him feel. But he didn't feel it. He felt unworthiness... He felt shame for some of his past choices and actions... He felt sadness and grief.

Looking back at the rusty door, he felt like he was being pulled toward it. He felt understanding for what he had done, and a general scoffing at letting the past weigh him down.

But he also felt a terrible heat, a fire burning in his chest... It hurt. In more ways that one.

So, rather than move toward either door, Wolf fell to his knees, and closed his eyes. He swallowed hard, and centered his thoughts. He put all his strength into what he then said.

"Please... Give me one more chance."

*****

"Dr. Kab!" Dox shouted. "Please, come with me, out to the docking bay... The boss is dying!"

Kab looked up, clearly perturbed at the interruption. He'd just begun injecting his experimental drug into Arti's brain, something he was almost certain would bring the victim back to full health. Almost.

"&%$#! I'm not finished yet!" Kab snapped.

"But... Arti's not dying, is he? Captain O'Donnell is!" Dox said, anxiously.

"I don't give a... Wait... O'Donnell... Wolf O'Donnell? Your captain...?" Kab said slowly. "Err, you're right, this one will be fine a bit longer... Quickly, take me to your captain."

Dox led the way, and didn't notice the look on the good doctor's face, as wheels began turning in his mind.

*****

Kay-Tee was staring at the floor when Dox came rushing back into the docking bay. An odd little man was following him, carrying a black bag, and wearing a lab coat.

"It's too late," the young pilot said miserably. "Pablo says... He's gone..."

"He stopped breathing," Pablo said, shaking his head. "I fear the worst."

"Make way, &$# you, I'm a doctor!" Kab ordered, and they all backed off. He kneeled by Wolf, peering at his face.

Just then, Wolf's eyes snapped open. No one else could see this, and Kab took advantage of the situation. He pretended to quickly administer an injection, and then, when Wolf gasped his first real breath in the last few minutes, Kab leaped to his feet, yelling, "Alive! He's alive! I saved him!"

The others stared in shock as Wolf gasped again, blinking his eyes. He was back.

"Urgh... Did... Argh... Did we... *cough* Did we win?" he grunted out, the pain now returning, ten-fold.

Everyone cheered, as Kay-Tee leaned down and said, "Epicly, boss... Epicly."

_End of Chapter Thirteen_


	14. The 'Good' Doctor?

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

_Chapter Fourteen : The __**Good **__Doctor?_

"Captain's log... I can barely...*cough* Manage to speak, but I felt the need to comment on... The events. Apparently we survived the countdown, somehow. And... Ugh... I survived my injuries. I'm not sure... If the events in the 'white place' really happened... Argh... But for now, there are more... *cough* Pressing matters."

*****

"You can thank me any &$# time, O'Donnell," Dr. Kab said, grinning evilly.

"What... *cough* Who...?" Wolf murmured, blinking his eyes. "Wait... You... Kab. Kab, you sonuvamartian... What the... *cough* What the _heck_ are you doing here?"

"He saved your life, boss," Kay-Tee said.

Wolf made a face, which might have been from disgust at seeing Kab, or from pain. Or both.

"That maniac didn't save me... *cough* He just wants... Wants to claim the glory," he said, through clenched teeth.

Kab chuckled darkly.

"You all saw what happened," he said.

"Calm down, Wolf, you're still in bad shape," Pablo cautioned. "It _did_ appear as if this... 'Doctor'... Did _something _to help you. You were basically dead. And, you know, getting upset might undo whatever it was he did."

"Yeah, just calm down, chief," Dox said. "Dr. Kab needs to finish helping Arti, anyway."

"Fine, but... *cough* Watch him every... Erg... Every second," Wolf told him, wincing.

"I will," Dox replied. "C'mon, Doc, let's go."

Kab leered down at Wolf for a moment, then turned to follow Dox.

Wolf grimaced, and looked at Kay-Tee, saying, "Be wary of that guy... He's... *cough* Nothing but trouble."

"We'll watch him, don't worry," Zack spoke up. "I don't like the looks of him either." He motioned at El, and the two took off in the direction that Dox and Kab had went.

"Wolf Man worry Mumbo," Mumbo said.

Wolf's head snapped around, and he almost set up, had Pablo not prevented him.

"Mumbo! *cough* You're... Alive!" he said, surprised.

"Yes, Mumbo alive," the shaman agreed. "Lucky thing, too. Mumbo come back just in time to blast Robot Minister Man to pieces. Ha ha ha."

Wolf managed a grin.

"Good for you," he said. "I'm glad... *cough* You're alive."

"Feeling is mutual, Wolf Man," Mumbo said.

"I'm going to get you some more Bacta," Pablo said, getting up. "It may work better, now that you're improving. Stay still."

Wolf nodded, staring up at a nearby computer display. He saw that the timer had stopped with one second remaining, and had to grin. "Talk about cutting it close," he grunted.

Kay-Tee snickered.

"We didn't plan it that way, but it sure made things exciting," he said.

"Guess you're... A hero, kid," Wolf told him.

"Nah, not really," the young pilot said, modestly. "I was just _one _of the people who helped hack the computer, and save the solar system. Zack, El, Andrew, Dox... They all deserve equal credit."

"Hold on... Andrew?!?"

"I know, right?" Kay-Tee said, chuckling. "He was useless during the robot battle, but he came through when it was time to stop the countdown."

Wolf looked around, but apparently Andrew had left the docking bay.

"Huh... Never knew he was... A tech," he murmured. "Might be... Hope for him, yet."

*****

"Is he going to be all right, too?" Dox inquired.

"Yes, if you give me some %$#& room," Kab complained. "I need a steady hand for these injections."

Dox made a face. He was surprised the man could have steady hands at all, wasted as he was a little while ago. He gave him plenty of room, but he watched carefully, as Wolf had ordered.

Suddenly, Kab straightened, and stowed the meds in his bag.

"I've done all that needs to be done," he said. "He'll wake up soon, and be right as &#$ rain." He looked around at Dox, and said, "Anyone else need some %&$ good medical attention?"

"I thought I saw someone else on the floor in the docking bay," Dox said, thinking back. "He was covered up, though. Must've been Mac Banno, he's the only one missing."

"Mmm, I'll go take a look," Kab said, then hurried away, nearly running into Zack and El in the hall, who turned to follow him.

Dox looked down at Articerile, on the cot Kab had placed him on.

"You wake up soon, all right?" he said, then turned to follow Kab as well.

*****

"Leave him be!" Pablo exclaimed, as Kab removed the jacket covering Mac Banno's face. "He's gone."

"Let a &%#$ doctor decide that," Kab snapped, shoving Pablo backwards, into Zack and El.

Dox and Kay-Tee started to pull their blasters, but Kab said, "I can still save this man... Do you want to keep me from doing that, you $&%# fools?"

Everyone hesitated, then took a step back. Kab smirked, then leaned over Mac. He took a strange device from his bag, that had a glowing blue orb on one end. He placed this over Mac's heart, and suddenly Mac's body began jerking and thrashing! Zack and El started to rush Kab, but Pablo grabbed their arms, watching with wide eyes.

Suddenly the jerking stopping, and Kab put away the odd device. He took out a vapor syringe, and waved it over Mac's forehead, forcing the medication into his brain. Another tremor passed through Mac's body, then, to the shock of everyone there, he began to breathe!

"There you go," Kab said, standing up. "He's in a temporary coma, while the medication heals his nervous system, but he should recover pretty &%$ nicely."

Pablo, Zack, and El rushed forward to kneel by their friend, seeing the color return to his face, and the steady movement of his chest as he breathed.

"Th-thank you," Pablo said, looking at Kab. "I'm sorry I doubted you."

"It happens," Kab said, shrugging. "Gets &$%# tiring, but I'm used to it."

"What do you want, Kab?" Wolf asked him, causing the man to turn around.

"Just to help," Kab replied, his eyes glinting.

"You never help without... Expecting something in return," Wolf said. "What's your angle this time?"

"Don't be so &%# suspicious, O'Donnell," the odd little doctor said. "It's bad for your health." He smirked, then turned to walk away. "I'm going to rest aboard my ship... It's docked in the side port. I'll be back in a few hours to check on the patients."

Kab gave a small bow, then hurried away. Pablo, Zack, and El carefully lifted Mac, and carried him away, to place him in his quarters. Kay-Tee sat down next to Wolf, and asked, "Where do you know that whacko doctor from?"

"The past," Wolf said simply. He was sitting up now, the Bacta relieving him of some of his pain, and slowly healing his wounds. "Hey, kid, do me a favor... Look in the inner compartment on the left side of my utility belt. My left arm still won't work right."

Kay-Tee did as he was asked, and soon pulled out the absolute last thing he ever expected to find.

"An eyepatch?" he asked, incredulously. "You wear an eyepatch?"

"When my eyepiece is on the fritz, or in this case, when it's destroyed, yeah, I do," Wolf said, grumpily. "I used to wear it all the time, back in the day."

He took the eyepatch with his right hand, then clumsily fit it over his head. Straightening it, he managed to finally cover his blinded left eye.

"You look like a pirate," Dox said, grinning.

"Ha, ha, ha, shut up," Wolf said, glaring. "Now look... As soon as Arti and Mac are well, or well enough, anyway, I want _Dr. Frankenstein_ outta here. He's not to be trusted, even if he is helping people."

"Whatever you say, boss," Kay-Tee replied, and Dox nodded.

"Okay... Now, if it's not an inconvenience, I'd like to get off of this floor, and onto something soft... I need some rest," Wolf requested. He felt like he'd been laying on the floor for days.

"Can you walk?" Dox asked him.

"Yeah... I think so... Help me up."

So, leaning on Dox and Kay-Tee for support, Wolf slowly, and painfully, made his way to SeaBee Emm's private quarters aboard the _|_33+ Hacker_. There he found a soft bed, which he gratefully collapsed into, telling his comrades to clear out, and let him sleep for a few hours. He placed new Bacta patches over his wounds, then promptly went to sleep.

*****

"This will be harder than I thought, my lord," Kab was saying into his comm link, from aboard his ship, the _Lamooie_. "With the Minister destroyed, that fool Emm dead, and the portal remaining closed... Well, it &%$ well complicates matters."

_"I will just have to take matters into my own hands,"_ was the reply over the comm. _"I need to enter the fifth dimension, and soon... You will have to collect the root data and coordinates that the Minister was using_."

"I shall do so," Kab said. "It won't be easy to poke around the ships, though... That &%#$ O'Donnell is causing the others to doubt my intentions already. If only he'd died, instead of recovering..."

_"Ah, but that would have been too easy,"_ the other person said._ "However, I believe you can handle the situation, can you not?"_

"Oh yes, my lord, I know what to do," Kab replied. "If it comes to it, Wolf will just have to have a setback."

_"Excellent._ _Oh, by the way... I recieved word from one of my operatives. It seems he stumbled across your son, and is bringing him to see me, quite soon. I do hope I can expect great things from him, as well."_

"You can indeed, my lord," Kab said, pleasantly surprised by the news. "He's a &#% good kid. I'm glad to know he survived the mission I gave him. Perhaps he brings vital information with him."

_"My operative seems to think he has promise... We shall see. You just make sure to do what needs to be done on your end. I need that information... And removing a thorn from my side in the process would please me greatly."_

"It shall be done, my lord," Kab promised. "Kab, out." He switched off the comm, and leaned back in the pilot's seat of his small ship. "Yes..." he murmured. "There are a lot of things you don't know about, Wolf O'Donnell. Things that will be the end of you... Perhaps _very %#$& soon_."

*****

Wolf woke up hours later, in a dark, unfamiliar room. Where was he again? _"Oh, right..."_ he thought. _"Emm's quarters."_ He gingerly touched the wound in his chest, and was pleased to find that it didn't hurt nearly as bad. In a couple of days he'd be back to his old self.

_"Might as well get some more sleep,"_ he reasoned. _"Best thing for me, aside from the Bacta. Wonder what woke me up to begin with?"_

Then he heard the slight rustling of cloth, and realized what woke him up... Someone was there. He quickly lashed out, catching a wrist right above him. He held on tightly, while reaching with his still weak left arm to flick on the light.

Dr. Kab stood beside the bed, a crazed, evil look in his eyes... And a scalpel in his hand. The razor-sharp tip of the instrument was roughly an inch from piercing Wolf's chest, and entering his heart.

"Predictable," Wolf said, frowning. "You figured I'd be at my least alert, after nearly dying. You decided to strike now, eh? Then disguise my death as a relapse or something, probably." He shook his head. "Pretty sad, Kab..."

Kab's glare was lethal. He tried to wrench his arm free, but couldn't.

"You pathetic %&# fool!" he yelled. "You have no idea what's coming! The whole $%#& universe will change!" With that he struck out with his free hand, hitting Wolf in the chest, right where he had been wounded.

Wolf felt a wave of pain, and shoved Kab backwards. The mad doctor dashed from the room, and Wolf jumped out of bed to follow him. As he staggered down the corridor, he realized he wasn't near 100% yet. Instinctively he dodged to the right as he ran, and luckily so, because a blaster bolt whizzed by him to the left.

Wolf pulled his own blaster and fired, but because he was staggering, the shot went high and missed Kab. As he ran along, it dawned on Wolf that everyone else must have been asleep, and very soundly... Otherwise, they would've heard the shooting, and shouting.

As he rounded a corner, Wolf the heat of a blaster bolt, as it passed by his right ear, only an inch away. He dodged to the side, banging against a wall painfully. He grimaced, then fired a shot in the general direction he guessed Kab to be. Again, it was pointless.

Kab reached into one of the open crates, and pulled out a black metal box. He'd seen it before, and knew where to find it. Then, he tore one of the computer panels from the wall. Stuffing them both in a duffel bag, he turned to go.

"You _will _lose, O'Donnell!" Kab exclaimed, from somewhere in the shadows. "You've got my %#$& word!" Several shots were fired, and Wolf ducked behind crate, suddenly realizing he was back in the _NinsonX_'s docking bay.

Kab cursed in disgust that he had missed Wolf, then ran into the interior of the ship, heading for the side port, and his ship. Wolf ran to follow, but tripped over one of the fallen robotic aides, and fell to the floor, pain rippling through him. He heard footsteps coming, and then the lights came on.

"Boss!" Kay-Tee exclaimed, rushing forward. "What the heck happened?"

"Argh... Kab happened... Get the others, and go to the side port... Stop him! Kill him!" Wolf snarled, struggling to sit up.

Kay-Tee took off, shouting to Dox and El, who had appeared in the doorway. The three then ran after Kab, but by the time they reached the side port, the doors were sealed, and the _Lamooie_ was shooting off into space. Kay-Tee thought about going to the ion cannons, but knew he'd never make it in time.

Instead, he dejectedly headed back to the docking bay, El and Dox following, looking confused. They found Mumbo, Pablo, and Zack with Wolf, Mumbo helping the Star Wolf captain to his feet.

"Wolf Man should wait until healed before jog," he was saying.

"Yeah, that dawned on me a little too late," Wolf grumbled. Seeing Kay-Tee he asked, "Did you stop him?"

The young pilot shook his head.

"No, I'm sorry, boss," he said. "He got away into space. But what happened?"

Wolf sighed.

"He tried to kill me, as I expected," he said. "He's insane... Totally mad."

"Well, he's gone now," Pablo said. "He helped Arti and Mac, probably only so he could stick around long enough to kill you, Wolf. But the point is, he did help them... So, something good came of it."

"I guess so," Wolf said. "But that won't be the last we see of the good doctor... No way."

"We'll be ready for him next time, though," Dox said, hitting his palm with his fist.

Wolf smirked.

"I think we need to work out a night watch detail, from now on," he said. "Someone needs to be awake and keeping an eye on things."

Zack shrugged, and said, "I'll do it, I'm not tired anymore, anyway."

Pablo nodded at him.

"I'll spell you in a couple of hours," he told him. "And-"

He stopped short as the sound of footsteps met his ears. Everyone turned toward the nearest doorway, reaching for their blasters.

"Hey, what's all the racket, anyway?"

"Yeah, it's enough to wake the dead."

"ARTI!"

"MAC!"

Pablo, Zack, and El practically knocked Mac off his feet in their rush to grab him, hug him, shake his hands, and clap him on the back. He pushed them away, saying, "Geroff me, already!"

Arti shook hands with his teammates, but looked embarrassed.

"I feel naked without my mech suit, where is it?" he asked, quietly.

"Err... What's left of it is over there, someplace," Kay-Tee said, pointing to one corner. "I'm afraid it's kind of a mess."

Arti sighed.

"All that hard work, and now I've gotta do it all over again," he said. "Say, what's been happening, anyway?"

Wolf had to chuckle. It hadn't dawned on him until then that Arti wouldn't have a clue what had went on. He put a hand on the robotics expert's shoulder, and said, "It's a long story... And I'm tired." He turned to slowly make his way back to the bed he'd been enjoying earlier. "One of you other guys get Arti and Mac up to date."

In the corridor, Wolf almost ran into Andrew. He looked at him for a moment, then gave him a nod, and made his way past him, on his way to Emm's quarters. Andrew stared after him for a moment, then walked into the docking bay as Kay-Tee said, "Well, we almost got turned into anti-matter, but we didn't!"

Arti raised an eyebrow.

"Sounds interesting... Do tell," he said, sitting on a nearby crate.

Pablo hurried off, and returned with stim tea, and the group stayed up most of the night talking. It was over now, they all thought... Emm was dead, and so was the Ancient Minister. The countdown had been stopped, and billions of people had been spared. Wolf, Arti, and Mac had been saved from the brink of death, and even Kab's plan had been thwarted.

Little did the smiling and laughing comrades know, but the journey was just beginning... And the worst was yet to come.

_End of Chapter Fourteen_


	15. Picking Up The Pieces

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

_Chapter Fifteen : Picking Up The Pieces_

"Come on, come on... OUCH!"

Arti bit back a string of curses, clutching the fingers of his right hand. Electrical burns hurt like a natty-do, but he was used to it by now, and soon the pain went away. But, never had he had so much trouble repairing robotic machinery.

"I'm beginning to think this is a lost cause, Mumbo," he said.

Mumbo shrugged.

"That what Art Man say about mech-suit," he replied. "But we fix it."

Arti nodded. The mech-suit was like new again. He was only waiting for it to recharge, before he got back into it. He felt

strange being outside of it... It was his safe place, his home. He preferred being in there.

The trouble he was having was not with his mech-suit, it was with a new project. Yesterday, after he'd finished repairs on his mech-suit, Arti stumbled across the burned remains of the droid CT64. Kay-Tee had told him what happened to the droid, and how he was permanently fried, but Arti had thought differently.

Now he was working with Mumbo (who had alternated between helping him, and helping Pablo and his crew finish repairs on the _NinsonX_) to rebuild and rewire CT64. His personality and memory chips had been undamaged, Arti had discovered. Also, his head and arms were still salvageable. The rest of his body was a different story.

However, there were plenty of spare droid parts around, thanks to the Minister and his aides. Had it been humans they were dealing with, it might sound a bit grotesque, but it happened all the time with droids. A lot of lower class droids were made up of several other droids who'd been dismantled at some point or other.

CT64 hadn't been one of those, but he soon would be... If Arti could ever get the wiring right. The droid had it's original head and arms, but had two of the aide's center "spines", attached to the hover-base that had belonged to the Ancient Minister. He was going to look terrible, Arti knew, but he would function fairly normally.

"Okay... Let's try attaching this terminal here," Arti said.

Mumbo twisted a wire and moved it over about an inch, while Arti tightened the clamp. Then, he pressed the manual

power button located under a flap on the back of CT64's head.

To his relief, the droid's eyes glowed to life, and he began twitching.

"Noooooooo!" he yelled, relieving what had been the last few second sof his life. "My liege!"

He then cocked his head to one side, and looked at Arti and Mumbo.

"What happened? I do not feel like myself," he said, testing his arms. He attempted to test his legs, and in doing so, shot forward on his hover base, knocking Mumbo and Arti to the floor.

"I'm terribly sorry," he said, looking down at himself. "I seem to be... Deformed."

Arti laughed, scrambling up, and high-fiving Mumbo.

"We had to put you back together however we could, CT64," he said. "This was the best we could do for now."

"Ah, I see," CT64 said. "Thank you. This will take some getting used to."

"Yeah, you'll need to adjust," Arti told him. "Just like you'll have to adjust to your new life."

CT64 looked at him and asked, "My... New life? What has taken place?"

"Your boss got fragged by Mumbo," Kay-Tee said, walking up. "He almost killed our boss, Wolf, so he had to go down."

CT64 was quiet for a few moments. It was hard to accept that the Ancient Minister was gone (he hadn't realized that he was now sporting part of his ex-liege), and that he was now looking for a new job.

"Would you have a use for me, sir?" he asked Arti. "Since you rebuilt me, you are my master, now."

Arti raised an eyebrow, and shook his head.

"Look, I'm not your master," he said. "I don't like bossing people around. That's Wolf's job." He smirked, as Kay-Tee and Mumbo chuckled. "I'll talk to him about it, but I think we could use you around here. Seeing as we're keeping this ship."

The group was currently in one of the (many) work rooms aboard the _|_33+ Hacker_, the now-dead SeaBee Emm's old vessel. Wolf had plans to take the ship to be overhauled and reformatted, and make it Star Wolf's flagship. (He would use some of the large amount of denari found aboard the ship to do so.)

CT64 nodded.

"I would be glad to help in any way I can," he said. Suddenly he remembered something for before his master struck him down. "Wait... That man I shot accidentally... Is he all right?"

"Mac Man dead for a while, but Kab Man bring him back," Mumbo told him.

"He's fine, don't worry," Arti added.

CT64 seemed relieved.

"If you don't mind, I would like to take some time to get reoriented with my body," he said.

"Yeah, sure," Arti said, tossing his tools in a duffel bag, and leading the way out the door. "I'll check back later."

"Thank you again, sir," CT64 called after him. A moment later he was alone, and testing out his amalgam frame. Soon he knew everything he needed to know, so he settled to gather his thoughts. He was a new breed of droid, modeled after the Enniessians. He had an organic personality chip, meaning his thoughts and feelings changed and grew as time went

on.

He thought about his liege, the Ancient Minister. Though he felt a pang of grief that he was gone, CT64 still realized that the Minister had gone too far, endangering the lives of so many beings. Then the droid thought of team Star Wolf, and his new home aboard their ship. Perhaps things had worked out for the best.

*****

"I don't think so."

"I'm ready, Wolf. Really I am. My ship's ready, too."

"We don't know what might be going on there."

"That's the whole point! I can find out. Come on... Let me do this."

Wolf sighed in frustration as Arti stood there pleading. It was just like when Dox wanted to sneak aboard the very ship they were now occupying. Arti wanted to return to Star Wolf HQ on Venom to check on Lazlo, to see if Panther and Mafefe were still there, and to find out if Kain Frederick had been in touch.

"I'll be fine, Wolf... I won't be in my simple mech-suit, like when I fought the Gruntling. I'll stay in my _XV-88_ until I know what's up." Arti paused, then said, "You can't stop me from going, anyway."

Wolf started to protest, then shrugged.

"Fine, you're right," he said. "Go... We'll be heading to the nearest spaceport to make the changes to this ship as soon as Pablo's ship is repaired. I'll comm you the location when we've decided where we're headed."

Arti nodded, smiled, and then headed off down the corridor, heading for the docking bay and his ship. Several minutes later (after detouring to say goodbye to his teammates, and the _NinsonX _crew), he was taking off into space, charting a course for Venom, and engaging the hyperdrive.

"Next stop... Home sweet home."

*****

It was almost time to get back underway. Wolf and his team were on the command deck of the _|_33+ Hacker_, getting comfortable with the controls.

"What's the nearest planet, Dox?" Wolf asked, from the captain's chair. "Err.. Other than Yavin III, I mean." He didn't want to go there... Too much bad history.

"Lom," Dox replied. "Never been there, myself... But according to the readouts, it's got a major spaceport."

"I know the place," Pablo G. Pym remarked, as he walked into the command deck. "Odd little planet, but they can get this ship reconfigured for you. And, there's very little crime on Lom, which is a plus."

"Didn't I hear something about the leader of that planet being some kind of oddball?" Wolf asked.

"He is different," Pablo replied. "His name is Lo Mo No. He's of a felinoid race, but a basically peaceful one. He got rather well known on the holonet for his political standpoint."

"Which is?"

"Well, he's created his own kind of politics, actually... Rather strange, from what I hear. Calls it Lomonocratics."

"Hmm... Well, we'll only be there for a day or two, hopefully," Wolf said. "We need to get back to base soon..." He was anxious to get word from Arti, when he arrived on Venom. Wolf wanted to discover the fate of Lazlo, though his chances seemed pretty bleak.

But in reality, they needed to return to the base soon anyway, as a team... Because in a few short days, General Scales would return, and be expecting Star Wolf to be ready for war. And ready to destroy Star Fox.

Scales was paying Wolf a lot of denari to kill Fox McCloud, and then lead his armada (made up of pirates and renegades) against Andross. Of course, Wolf didn't plan to do the first of those, for sure. He'd changed a lot in the past weeks... In ways he couldn't completely understand.

He was done with crime, he knew that. He also knew he wouldn't kill Fox. His hatred for Fox still lingered, from past experiences, but his new outlook made him feel inclined to let the past stay in the past. Wolf also didn't intend to lead Scales to victory against Andross... However... He had a plan for an alternative scenario.

"Well, my crew and I are ready set off," Pablo said, interrupting Wolf's thoughts. "Thanks to Mumbo and Kay-Tee, the _NinsonX _is like new again."

"You sure you don't want to tag along with us?" Kay-Tee asked.

Pablo chuckled.

"Tempting offer, but we have a job to do," he said, shaking his head. "But... I'm sure we'll meet again in the future, team Star Wolf. It's been a priviledge getting to know you all."

Wolf shook hands with Pablo, and nodded.

"That's mutual," he said. "We'll be seeing you." As Pablo turned to leave the command deck, Wolf added, "Next time you get attacked by raiders, be sure to give us a call."

Pablo smirked.

"Assuming it's not you who's attacking, of course," he said. "Heh, heh... Will do, Wolf."

Zack Vee, El Boton, and Mac Banno entered from the corridor to say goodbye as well.

"Thanks for making a boring rom dump exciting, you guys," El said, grinning.

"Yeah, it definitely was a memorable experience," Zack said, shaking his head, thinking about the countdown.

"I wish I hadn't missed the last half of it," said Mac, rolling his eyes.

"Farewell," Pablo finished, and the group walked out the door, into the corridor beyond.

Pablo glanced back, saluted, then disappeared. Minutes later, the _NinsonX _detached from the _|_33+ Hacker_, and flew away into space. Wolf sat back in the captain's chair, liking the feel, and said, "Plot a course for Lom, Doxxy... We've got a ship to reconfigure."

"Aye, aye, Captain," Dox said, with a grin. He typed in the information, then looked back at Wolf.

"Initiate hyperspace jump... Now," Wolf instructed. He watched the stars stretch, then vanish in a maelstrom of swirling lights, and knew they were on their way.

"Hey, boss," Kay-Tee said, looking over at Wolf. "Now that we've got a fancy ship, and plenty of denari... What are we going to do? Y'know, as a job? Are we still mercs for hire?"

"Mumbo be glad to relax for rest of Mumbo's days," the skull-faced shaman muttered.

"I'm not ready to hang up the spy game yet," Dox threw in. "I'm getting better at it all the time." This drew a snicker from

Kay-Tee.

"I don't know what I want to do," Andrew quietly commented. "Whatever you say, I suppose, Wolf."

Wolf was silent for a few moments, looking at each of them, then out the viewscreen at hyperspace. He wasn't sure they were ready to hear what lay ahead. And, he wasn't sure exactly what to do with Andrew, either.

"There's some stuff in the works for us," Wolf said slowly. "It's going to give us even more denari... But it's going to be dangerous." He paused, then said, "I'll tell you when we regroup on Venom, okay? I still have some thinking to do." He got to his feet, and turned to leave. "Andrew? We need to talk," he added, as he walked away.

Andrew quickly got up and followed him out into the corridor. When they were out of earshot from the rest, Wolf stopped, and turned around. He looked at Andrew sternly.

"You never liked working for me, did you?" he asked.

"Err... Well, no," Andrew said, meekly. "I didn't. I had no choice, though, because Uncle Andross told me to."

"Mmm, well, I never much liked you working for me, either," Wolf told him. "But now is not then. Now is a clean slate, a fresh start for Star Wolf." He paused, then asked, "Why exactly do you want to work for me again?"

Andrew stared at the floor.

"Because... Well, I owe you," he said. "You taught me a lot, rather you meant to or not. I like the other guys, a lot more than I did Leon and Panther. And... I can't go back to Andross. I don't want to, either, really. Even if he wouldn't kill me." He swallowed hard, and went on. "I don't know what you plan to do, but if you need another pilot, I'm available."

Wolf thought hard about it. Kay-Tee had told him that he'd been fairly useless in the battle with the robots, but that he'd been a great help hacking the code to stop the countdown. He also seemed genuine in what he had just said. And, mistakes aside, he _was _a good pilot. Wolf was only worried about one, rather large, detail.

"What if we end up going against Andross?" he asked. "Will you be able to fight with us, against him, without faltering?"

Andrew paled, and his eyes grew wide for a moment, as he thought about that. But then he nodded, and said, "I'd do my best... As long as you don't expect a miracle. I'm still me. I pretty much reek at ground combat. Keep me in the air, or in a LandBlaster at least, and... There won't be a problem."

Wolf smirked. He knew he might regret it, but he'd made his decision.

"Welcome back, Andrew," he said, giving him a clap on the shoulder. "Now get back to your post, and get to know your new teammates a bit better."

Andrew grinned, and dashed away. Wolf adjusted the eyepatch he was wearing over his left eye, wishing he had his eyepiece back. He'd buy one on Lom if possible, he promised himself. The eyepatch was just so... _Lylat Wars_.

_End of Chapter Fifteen_


	16. Welcome to Lom

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

_Chapter Sixteen : Welcome to Lom_

"Boss, wake up!"

Wolf, who had been dozing in the captain's chair, awoke with a start.

"What? What happened?" he asked, blinking his good eye.

"We'll be exiting hyperspace any minute now," Kay-Tee told him.

"Oh... Right." Wolf sat up straighter, stretched, then looked at the display panel in front of him. It showed their destination, the planet Lom, was drawing closer.

Then, suddenly, the stars reverted back to their normal appearance, and their destination filled the viewscreen. It was a small planet, by most standards, but Wolf had seen smaller. It was, thankfully, not an ice or lava planet... He hated those. No, it looked to be made up of greens and blues... That was usually a good sign.

Just then, the comm came to life.

_"Unknown craft, this is Lom control, you are entering Lom airspace... Please state your identification, and business here,"_ said a bored sound voice.

"This is Captain O'Donnell, of the ship _|_33+ Hacker_," Wolf said into the comm link. "We're here to get some work done on our ship."

_"Understood, Captain,"_ the person said. _"Touch down at Lomon City spaceport, dock 1728... I'm beaming the coordinates to you. Welcome to Lom."_

"10-4," Wolf replied, as Dox signaled that he had received the coordinates. "O'Donnell, out." To his team he said, "Let's try not to get in any trouble while we're here, eh?" Almost as if to underline his words, the comm came back to life.

_"By the way, |___**33+ Hacker**__, I meant to inform you to leave any weapons you have aboard... We are a weapon-free people."_

Wolf blinked.

"Err... Right, Lom control," he said slowly. "Whatever you say." Clicking off the link, he looked back at the others. "Let's try _really hard_ not to get into any trouble while were here."

"You said it, chief," Dox replied, as the ship traveled through the atmosphere, and down toward the surface.

*****

Lom was every bit as beautiful as it had looked from space. Green plants, colorful flowers, blue seas, white beaches, warm air... It was a real paradise. Wolf allowed himself a brief thought on retiring there someday... But he decided he would save thinking about retirement for _after _he'd dealt with Scales and Andross.

"What a place," Kay-Tee said, letting out a low whistle, as they stood on the exit ramp of the ship.

"Nice locale," Dox agreed.

"Mumbo like much better than Venom," Mumbo added.

Andrew was quiet for a moment, looking around. Finally he said, "This is the kind of place I always wanted to live... But Unc-... But Andross told me I never deserved to even _see_ a place like this."

"Your uncle's a real creep, ain't he?" Kay-Tee asked.

"He's insane," Wolf said, his lip curling slightly. "Let's not discuss him right now... We've got other things to take care of." With that, he led the way down the ramp, and toward a waiting mechanic.

"What does she need?" the skinny felinoid asked. "She looks in tip-top condition."

"I want it reformatted into a flagship, the engines and weapons overhauled and upgraded to armada strength, and I want the name changed," Wolf rattled off.

The mechanic blinked his cat eyes slowly.

"That's going to be expensive, sir," he said.

"I've got plenty of denari, don't you worry," Wolf told him. "Now, how long will it take?"

"Well... We can have her fixed up in... Two days, I guess. You'll need to check with ship registration about the name change, and to pay for the upgrades and whatnot. It's that building over there."

"Thanks."

Wolf headed to the building, while his team wandered off, enjoying the scenery, and looking for somewhere to eat. Inside the registration building, Wolf found himself doing paperwork (which he hated), and then forking over most of the denari that the team had made on their mission. This was of little importance, considering they had the rest of Emm's money as well, and all his trinkets to sell.

Leaving the office, with his paperwork in a folder under his arm, Wolf looked around for his team. He spied them a short distance away, in front of a small building. Kay-Tee looked around and caught sight of him, and began waving him over.

"This place has everything!" the young pilot said as Wolf joined them. "Even this!"

Wolf looked at the sign, and rolled his eyes.

"McSloppald's Burgers... It figures," he said, as Kay-Tee and Dox led the way inside.

After waiting in line for several minutes, they finally reached the counter. A felinoid girl looked at them with a bright smile and said, "Welcome to McSloppald's! What would you like today?"

"A Double Slopper with cheese, please!" Kay-Tee said.

"Can I get a Slopper without the tomato?" Dox asked.

The girl shook her head, her cat-ears twitching.

"This isn't _Burger King_, you can't have it your way," she told him.

Dox made a face, then ordered a regular Slopper. Mumbo had never been to a burger joint in his life, so Kay-Tee enthusiastically suggested he try a Double Slopper with cheese as well. Mumbo shrugged, and agreed. Andrew ordered a Poultry Packer and onion rings, which left Wolf to decide.

"I'll take a steak, rare, with fried onions, and a baked potato," he said.

The girl opened her mouth to say that wasn't on the menu, but Wolf glared and tossed down quite a bit of denari, so she shut her mouth and nodded. She then dashed away to find someone who would run down to the nearest steakhouse.

"Geez, boss, you're such a killjoy," Kay-Tee complained, as they took two tables near each other.

"Hey, what can I say," Wolf said, shrugging. "I'm used to your cooking." He smirked as Kay-Tee beamed.

"Why hello there!" exclaimed a voice behind Kay-Tee. "Welcome to McSloppald's! I'm Sloppy the Clown!"

The guy was dressed in a colorful outfit, wearing face paint and a huge burger on his head. He was grinning broadly, but his eyes betrayed how much he hated his job.

Kay-Tee turned to get a better look at the guy. When their eyes met, both had looks of shock pass across their faces.

"Bluett..." Kay-Tee murmured. "It's... Is it... But you're..."

"Kazzy? Kazzy!"

The clown grabbed the pilot out of his seat, and hugged him. Wolf and the others exchanged glances. Kay-Tee had told them all his story, after the countdown crisis was over. Wolf recalled that Bluett was the name of one of the soldiers who had died, giving Kay-Tee the chance to escape, in his last special ops mission.

"You're dead!" Kay-Tee exclaimed, wrenching free of the hug. "You died in that corridor!"

Bluett pulled the giant burger off his head, and set it down.

"No, I didn't," he said, smiling. "I survived, Kazzy... Mindo did, too! He's working at a ship salvage yard nearby."

Kay-Tee glanced at his teammates, then back at Bluett. He was in complete shock. One thing came into his mind, though, and he asked, "What about Gogeta and Lt. Patrick? Did they survive?"

Bluett's smile faded.

"No," he said, sadly. "When I woke up in the med ward of the detention camp, they told me that Mindo and I were the only survivors." He paused, then went on. "Anyway, after several months, Mindo, me, and a few other prisoners made our escape... One of them happened to be from Lom, here, and suggested we head here, because it's a peaceful world."

"And you took a job at at a burger place?" Kay-Tee asked.

"Hey, it's not my first choice, but it'll do," Bluett said, shrugging. "Besides, Mindo and I are going to start a freighter service, once we save enough money from our jobs. So, anyway... What are you up to, kid? And who are your friends?"

"Well, actually, we're a group of-"

"Art dealers," Wolf interrupted Kay-Tee. "I'm O'Donnell... This is Dox, Mumbo, and Andrew."

Kay-Tee looked at his boss in surprise, as Bluett raised an eyebrow.

"Well, uh, nice to meet you," he said. "Say, Kazzy, why don't you come with me to see Mindo after you're done eating?"

Wolf nodded his consent, and Kay-Tee grinned.

"It'd be great to see him again!" he said. "And it's great to see you, too, Bluett!"

Bluett left them to their food as it arrived, promising to come back when they'd finished. Everyone dug into their food with gusto (especially Wolf, who had better quality food). The tables were quiet for a few minutes, until Dox spoke up.

"This is the most disgusting thing I've ever eaten," he said, flatly.

"It looks it," Wolf said, smirking. He then enjoyed another juicy bite of steak.

"I'm going to complain," Dox said, getting up. "This is ridiculous." The others snickered as he made his way to the front counter. "I demand to see the sandwich maker!" he exclaimed.

The girl who had taken their orders nodded, and went back into the kitchen. Moments later she returned, followed by a young human girl. She was wearing a stained apron, and a hair net.

"What do you want?" she asked, glaring.

"I want to know who made this abomination of a burger," Dox said, using formality to make himself seem more imposing. It only made him more comical to his teammates, however.

"I'm the sammich maker," the girl said. "What's the problem?"

"It's disgusting," Dox told her, pushing the burger closer for her to examine it.

"It looks fine to me," she said, shrugging. "Eat it or don't, I don't care!"

Dox was taken aback... He assumed that the customer was always right.

"Look here, Miss... Err..." he squinted to read her name tag, which was spattered with ketchup... At least he hoped it was ketchup. "Maggie Candy?"

"That's my name."

"Right, well then... Miss Candy... I want a refund!"

The felinoid girl then timidly spoke up, saying, "But, sir, you didn't pay... The wolfish gentleman paid." She called across the room to Wolf, "Sir? Do you wish to get your money back?"

Wolf shook his head.

"My food is pretty good," he said, causing Andrew, Kay-Tee, and Mumbo to laugh.

"That's that," Maggie said, turning to leave.

"May I ask what the problem is?"

Everyone turned to see a tall human man approach the counter. He smiled pleasantly at Dox, then shot a glare at Maggie.

"This bozo is trying to get money for a sandwich he didn't even buy," Maggie said, glaring right back.

"That is simply uncalled for, young lady!" the man snapped. "Misty? Please give this customer a double-refund for this obviously disgusting sandwich."

The felinoid girl quickly obeyed, giving Dox fifteen denari. The man shook his finger at Maggie, and said, "Now, back to the kitchen, and do better next time!"

"YOU'RE THE WORST FATHER EVER!" she yelled. "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ME AT ALL! AND YOU WONDER WHY I SET THINGS ON FIRE FOR FUN!" She then ran into the kitchen.

The man cleared his throat, and smiled apologetically.

"Children..." he said, shrugging. "I apologize for the inconvenience."

"I understand," Dox said, though he didn't, at all. Finally he returned to the others, who were by then guffawing rather loudly at the whole thing. "Oh, shut up," Dox said. "At least I got some denari out of it."

A little later, Bluett came back to the table, this time wearing normal clothes.

"Ready, Kazzy?" he asked.

"Yeah!" Kay-Tee said, excitedly. "I'll see you guys later, okay?"

"Keep your comm on," Wolf told him. "That way I can let you know where to meet up with us later."

"Err, hey, could I come?" Dox asked. "I'd like to hear more about the special ops..."

"Sure, come on," Bluett told him. With that, the trio headed out of the establishment.

*****

"What we do now, Wolf Man?" Mumbo asked, as they left the restaurant.

"Well, I guess we could-" Wolf stopped short as something down the street caught his eye.

Someone was dragging a felinoid girl backwards, while waving a gun around!

"Stay back, if ya know whut's good fer ya!" the kidnapper yelled. He appeared to be an Anthro-Canine, which was a race that Wolf really hated (because he was often lumped in with them).

"How'd he get a gun?" Andrew asked, as the thug worked his way toward a nearby hover sled. "I thought they were banned."

"Guess he knows a guy," Wolf muttered. "Come on, let's try to sneak up on him. You guys split up and take either side..."

The trio fanned out, trying to hem the culprit in, who hadn't yet spied them. They were unarmed, though Mumbo had his repaired shaman stick in hand (he had fooled security into thinking it was a peculiar kind of walking stick).

Just as the creep was about to pull the victim into the sled, Wolf lunged forward, tackling him at the knees. The dog man fell backwards, and the girl tried to scramble away. Andrew helped her up, as Mumbo headed toward Wolf and the kidnapper, who were having quite a scuffle.

"Throw him off, Wolf Man," the skull-faced shaman called.

Wolf, who wasn't quite well enough to be _brawl_ing, didn't hesitate to follow the order, and kicked the thug off of him, and into the street.

"EEKUM BOKUM, EEKUM BOKUM, BOOP BADA BOO, BOOP BADA BOO, EEKUM BOKUM, EEKUM BOKUM, HEE HO HA, EEKUM BOKUM, EEKUM BOKUM, OOBANACKA!"

After a flash of light, and a puff of smoke, Wolf got to his feet, smirking at what sat on the street before him. He reached down to pick up the stuffed animal (which looked like a man with a dog's head, although he had googly eyes), and had to laugh.

"Leave it to the shaman to handle things," he said.

"Mumbo try."

They laughed, and then the two walked over to the crowd of people. Andrew had been keeping them back. An older, male felinoid stepped forward.

"Thank you for saving my little girl," he said. "I am forever in your debt."

Wolf shrugged.

"Don't mention it," he said. Looking down at the girl, he held out the stuffed dog-man. "Want a souvenir?"

The little girl took the plushie, and smiled, before being led away by her parents. The rest of the people in the crowd started praising Wolf, Mumbo, and Andrew, but Wolf quickly brushed it off as a fluke, and he and the others hurried away.

"It's always something," he said, rolling his eyes.

"At least we do good deed, Wolf Man," Mumbo reasoned. "We make habit of this... Maybe be heroes after all?"

Wolf thought about that, as they strolled down the road.

"It's an interesting thought, but I still have a lot to make up for," he said a moment later. "Still, maybe-"

"Wait, wait! Sirs!"

Wolf, Mumbo, and Andrew stopped, and turned around.

"What?" Wolf asked of the felinoid man who had chased after them.

"You're wanted at the presidential offices," the man said, catching his breath. "Lo Mo No himself wishes to see you!"

Wolf exchanged glances with Andrew and Mumbo.

"Err... Right," he said. "Any idea why?"

"Well, I imagine it's because of the disturbance you were involved in a moment ago," he said. "Please, you must come. He has never had an invitation turned down, I'm not sure how he would handle it."

Wolf sighed. It's like he said... It was _always _something.

"Lead the way," he told the felinoid. "Andrew? You head back to the ship and check on the progress... I want them to be sure to put those level seven concussion blasters _exactly _where I want them."

"Sure thing," Andrew said. He turned, and hurried away.

Wolf and Mumbo then followed the felinoid up one street, down the next, deeper and deeper into the city. Finally they reached what could only be described as a palace. It was by far the biggest and most impressive building in Lomon City. The huge gate that stood before them opened silently.

"This is the president's home," the felinoid guide told them. "Follow me, I will take you to the offices."

Wolf raised an eyebrow, but silently followed, he and Mumbo glancing at the posh estate as they hurried through it. Soon, after a maze of corridors and entrances that Wolf had struggled to memorize, they found themselves outside of a set of huge wooden doors. The guide knocked, and the doors opened.

"Please go right on in," the guide said.

Wolf and Mumbo did so, and the doors closed behind them. The room was huge, and filled with desks. Seated at the desks were dozens of felinoids, answering phones, using computers, and doing paperwork. At the far end of the room, in front of a giant-sized window looking over the gardens, was the president's desk.

"Ah, our heroes!" the short little felinoid man behind the desk exclaimed, standing. "I am so glad you came!"

Wolf cringed at all the eyes that were now focused on them.

"Err, look, we didn't really do anything much," he said.

"Nonsense, you saved a child's life!" the president said. "Don't be so modest! Now... Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lo Mo No, president of Lom, and creator of our government doctrine, Lomonocratics. And you would be?"

"O'Donnell... Wolf O'Donnell. And this is Mumbo Jumbo."

"Wonderful!" Lo Mo No said cheerily. "Please, sit down. We are making plans for the celebration."

"Said what? A celebration?"

"Yes, of course," Lo Mo No replied. "We're having it in honor of you two!"

Wolf shook his head.

"That's not necessary, sir, we-"

"Of course it is," the felinoid ruler interrupted. "Now... You will, of course, stay here at the palace, at least until tomorrow. I insist."

Wolf opened his mouth to decline, but Mumbo spoke up first.

"Sound good to Mumbo," he said.

"Wonderful," Lo Mo No said, smiling.

Wolf glared at Mumbo, who shrugged. Looking back at the president, Wolf said, "Look, sir, we have three other teammates with us, and-"

"Well, they're welcome too, of course!"

Wolf sighed, exasperated.

"President Lo Mo No-" he started.

"Call me Lo, everyone does," the president offered.

"Um... Sure... Lo... We really can't stay, we-"

"Nonsense," Lo interruped, seeming to enjoy doing so as often as possible. "You are staying, and that is all. Now, Felix will show you to the wing you and your friends will be staying in, and he'll let you know when the celebration begins."

The felinoid who had guided them to the offices motioned for them to follow him once more. Wolf really thought about just making a break for it, but he wasn't sure what sort of law there might be against insulting a president by declining his hospitality. So, grudgingly, he followed Felix, with Mumbo eagerly walking beside him.

"We see how other half live, Wolf Man," Mumbo said.

"It's _always _something," Wolf muttered again, facepalming himself.

As they exited the office, Lo called out, "By the way... Welcome to Lom!" As the doors swung shut, his beaming smile slid down into a smirk. "I think you'll find it simply to _die _for, Wolf. Heh, heh, heh..."

_End of Chapter Sixteen_


	17. Just like old times & Danger on Venom

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

_Chapter Seventeen : Just like old times..._

_...and Danger on Venom._

Bluett led Kay-Tee and Dox across Lomon City, into a somewhat grungier area. That is where they found the salvage yard where Mindo worked.

"Wow, this place is awesome," Kay-Tee said, looking at the heaps of rusting spaceship parts.

Dox was thinking along opposite lines.

"I don't think Wolf would take _free _parts from here, let alone buy them," he murmured.

"Follow me, Mindo should be in the back," Bluett told them.

Moments later, after squeezing between piles of junk, and a half-dozen ships in various stages of decay, they caught

sight of someone face down in a hyperdrive engine.

"Hey, Mindo!" Bluett called. "I brought someone to see you, get down here!"

Mindo dug himself out of the engine, and dropped down to the ground.

"Who is it? I've got to get that-" The ex-special ops agent stopped short, staring at Kay-Tee. "Tell me I'm delusional. This can't be Kazzy... Can it?"

"It's me!" Kay-Tee said, grinning.

An impromptu reunion party began, right there in the salvage yard. Dox was feeling remarkably left out, as the three shared stories about the old days, and toasted Gogeta and Lt. Patrick.

"Er, look," Dox said, interrupting. "I'm going to take a walk, okay?"

"No, stay," Kay-Tee told him. "Bluett's going to tell that story about the Coruscant mission."

Dox shook his head.

"That's all right, really," he said. "You can tell me some other time... I'll see you back at the ship, later." Dox turned to leave, but paused and nodded at Mindo and Bluett. "Nice to meet you guys."

"Yeah, you too, Doc," Bluett said, before launching into his story, Mindo and Kay-Tee chuckling already.

"It's _Dox_," the spy muttered, but no one heard him. So, he quickly made his way out of the salvage yard, and into the street. He realized he had no clue how to get back to the ship, though. His comm link buzzed right at that moment.

_"Dox? This is Wolf."_

"Hi, chief," Dox replied. "What's up?"

_"Plenty. Any chance you can get to the presidential palace?"_

Dox's eyes widened.

"What?!?" he exclaimed.

_"Long story. But, we're staying here for the night, apparently."_

"Well, I can't even find my way back to the ship from here, I don't think," Dox told him.

_"Oh... Where are you?"_

"Um... Buzz's Salvage Yard," Dox said, reading the sign.

_"Hang on a second."_ There was a pause, then Wolf said, _"I'm sending someone to get you and Kay-Tee. Should be there shortly."_

"He may not want to come," Dox said, making a face.

_"Well, he'd better. That's an order. See you in a little while. O'Donnell, out."_

Dox glanced back at the salvage yard entrance, and frowned. Something was... Odd... About Bluett and Mindo. He couldn't put his finger on it, but... Something didn't add up. His spy instincts were telling him that there was more to the story.

But, he didn't have a clue what, so he sighed, and walked back into the salvage yard. He found Kay-Tee and his former teammates laughing uproariously at something Mindo had said.

"Hey, Kay-Tee? We need to go," Dox said.

"What? Why? We just got here," Kay-Tee complained.

"Yeah, Sox, don't be a stick in the mud," Mindo said, smirking.

Dox gritted his teeth.

"_Dox_... My name is Dox," he said. "And we have to go, Kay-Tee, because Wolf sent someone to pick us up... Something about the presidential palace, or something."

It didn't escape Dox's attention that Mindo and Bluett both stiffened at the words 'presidential palace'. It seemed to completely evade Kay-Tee, however, who just looked depressed.

"Aw, man," he moaned. "Well... I'd better go, you guys... The boss gets upset when we ignore an order."

"I thought you were art dealers," Bluett asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We're very competitive art dealers," Dox said quickly, grabbing Kay-Tee, and pushing him toward the entrance.

"Maybe we can hang out again tomorrow!" Kay-Tee called, just before Dox shoved him out the door.

"Count on it!" Bluett yelled back.

*****

"There you are, finally," Wolf said, as Dox, Kay-Tee, and Andrew came up the main path from the palace gates.

"Birdbrain was dragging his feet," Dox said, rolling his eyes.

"Why are you acting like such a jerk, Dox?" Kay-Tee snapped back. "Geez! I thought they were dead for years now, and you expect me to not be glad to see them alive?"

"No... I dunno," Dox said, shrugging. "I just find them... Weird."

"Yeah, well, they're _my _friends," Kay-Tee said. He paused, then added, "And probably better friends to me than you are." He then quickened his pace to walk on ahead.

Dox looked hurt for a moment, but his expression quickly hardened.

"Stupid beak-headed twerp," he grumbled.

Wolf had watched the exchange, and raised an eyebrow, asking, "What's up with you two?"

"Nothing... I just don't much like his new... Old... Whatever... Friends. Dingo and Cluett."

"Mindo and Bluett," Andrew corrected helpfully, wincing as Dox turned to glare at him.

"Any chance they're no good?" Wolf inquired.

"No... Maybe... I'm not sure, to be honest," Dox replied. "I just have a feeling."

"Ohhhhhh, I'm hooked on a feeling!"

Wolf and Dox turned to look at Andrew, raising their eyebrows simultaneously. Andrew coughed and fell silent, as they made their way deeper into the palace. Soon they reached the wing that had been given to them for their stay there.

"Holy-"

"Don't say it," Wolf cut Kay-Tee off.

"Err... Cow!" Kay-Tee finished. "What a place!"

Mumbo had been lounging comfortably in a soft chair, enjoying the breeze coming in through the patio doors. He looked up as the group entered, and waved.

"Mumbo like palace very much," he said.

"I can tell," Wolf said, shaking his head. "Well, enjoy it, because first thing tomorrow, we're leaving... If the ship isn't done, we'll sleep aboard the ship tomorrow night, and then leave the next day. We've got a lot ahead of us." Again he looked at his comm link, wondering why Arti hadn't contacted him yet.

"I'm sure everything's fine," Andrew said, seeing him.

"Eh? Oh, right, of course," Wolf said, nodding. "I was just curious about Lazlo... Stupid little marshmallow."

Dox, Mumbo, and Kay-Tee exchanged glances. Lazlo could be a pest sometimes, but they all hoped he was well. Mumbo especially, seeing as he had caused the impending doom by leaving, and breaking his shaman stick in the process. Lazlo was a bit like a team mascot... Or... Not... But anyway, he was as much a team member as any of the rest of them, they felt.

Wolf cleared his throat, and said, "There's going to be a party... In honor of something Mumbo and I did." Kay-Tee and Dox opened their mouths to ask questions, but Wolf quickly said, "It's not a big deal, we just saved some kid. But anyway, Lo Mo No, the president, is making us out to be heroes."

"That'd be a real change of pace," Andrew said, almost seeming wistful.

Wolf smirked, and said, "I reckon it would at that, Andrew."

"Hey, boss, how come you're not doing your Captain's Log thing anymore?" Kay-Tee inquired.

"Stupid recorder glitched," Wolf said, frowning. "Have to get a new one soon."

*****

In a dark, seedy cantina, two people sat at a table near the back, having a whispered conversation.

"I can't believe he's with them."

"It came as a shock to me, too... It makes me wonder..."

"What?"

"Well, I don't know..."

"You can't back out now! You know we have to stick to the plan."

"Yeah..."

"We're going to be rich from this... And finally we can get off this furball of a planet."

"You're right. But... I just don't want to hurt-"

"Look, it can't be helped! We've come this far, waited this long, put up with so much... We deserve this! So, just relax... Everything's going to work out fine for us."

"If you say so..."

*****

"And now, here are our heroes!"

Wolf and Mumbo stepped forward, as a spotlight shone on them. Behind them stood Andrew, Kay-Tee, and Dox. Wolf squinted in the light, trying not snarl his displeasure at the situation. He didn't want to insult the president, but he was hating this more and more every moment.

The small gathering that was applauding them was made up of mostly felinoid natives to the planet. There were a handful of humans, and a couple of Sullustans as well. All were important people, either financially, or politically.

After shaking hands with everyone, and having to tell their story many times, Wolf and company finally managed to break away from the group, and sit down by themselves.

"Mumbo like fancy party," Mumbo said, "But Mumbo get tired of telling same story."

"I don't know, it's kind of nice to be admired," Andrew remarked.

"Funny how your part in the rescue seems to have grown, somewhat," Wolf said, smirking at the nephew of Andross.

Andrew shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm not sure how that rumor got started," he said, quietly. "I mean... I obviously didn't claim to have tackled three armed kidnappers to the ground, and then pummeled them all into submission... Simultaneously." He coughed.

Kay-Tee and Dox were snickering together, apparently having forgotten their disagreement from earlier, and Dox said, "Well, someone sure thinks so, Andrew."

Wolf shook his head.

"I just wish I knew when we could get out of here without insulting Lo Mo No," he said. "I'd just as soon not be arrested for ticking off that royal pain in the-"

"Ah, the heroes!" said Lo, rushing forward. "I wondered where you'd snuck off to! Enjoying the party?" He sat down, and smiled warmly.

Wolf grimaced, and tried to smile... Something he wasn't that good at even when he was happy, let alone when he was miserable and bored out of his skull.

"Oh, of course, sir," he said, managing a small smile. "Nice little get-together."

"I think so," Lo said, grinning. "I'm so glad you decided to stay here!"

Wolf thought about commenting on how little choice he'd had in the matter, but ended up saying, "Wouldn't have missed it..."

Lo's cat eyes twinkled.

"I imagine it's not exactly your style, Captain," he said, "But it was really quite necessary."

"If you say so, sir."

"I do say so," the president said, standing. "I also say that you all look tired from your space journey, and your heroism, and would probably like to get some rest, wouldn't you?"

Wolf exchanged glances with his teammates... Was Lo actually giving them a chance to escape the boredom? Well, that was fine in the Star Wolf team's book.

"You're right, sir," Wolf said, standing as well. "Thank you. We have... Err... Enjoyed the party. It was a real... Honor." He forced another smile, then motioned for his team to follow him, as he turned to walk away.

"See you soon!" Lo said, waving. Under his breath he added, "_Very _soon... Heh, heh, heh."

*****

_(Meanwhile...)_

Arti used the time it took to reach Venom to contemplate his life. The present, and the past... Especially after the dreams he'd had during his coma. Even now, when he closed his eyes, he could still see the men as they began to change... He blinked it away, and focused on his instrument panel.

He set his mind to what he would be finding ahead, but it wasn't exactly a happier subject. The thought of finding poor Lazlo after Panther and Mafefe had dealt with him... It wasn't a nice image. Arti sighed. He wished he'd been nicer to the little fellow... But, because of his past, he tried his best not to get too close to anyone.

Sure, he had a fairly close working relationship with Wolf and the others, but he rarely sat with them and just chatted. Most of the time he was in his mech-suit, or tinkering with robotic projects. He'd purposely avoided getting too close to those around him, for fear of what might happen. Again.

A blinking light flashed on his panel, and he brought the _XV-88 Destroyer Wolfen-Mech _out of hyperspace. Ahead of him loomed the dreary sight of the planet Venom.

"Home at last..." Arti muttered, preparing his ship to enter the atmosphere. Of course, Venom was not his home planet.

That was a place he was unlikely to ever visit again. Venom was home now... At least for the time being.

Ten minutes later, Arti was nearing Star Wolf base. An idea came to him, and he decided to touch down, and switch to mech form. That way he could approach the base on the ground, and possibly take any enemies by surprise.

Landing on the rocky terrain, Arti morphed into mech form, and then began the fifteen minute hike to the base. Before it came into sight, he detached himself from the _XV-88_, now using his smaller, more agile 'indoor mech'. This would allow him to crouch behind rocks, and inch his way closer, without alerting anyone.

It was a good idea, too. When the base was only a few hundred yards away, Arti saw movement. Dropping down behind a boulder, he peered around, his viewscreen telescopically zooming forward.

"What the..."

Outside the main entrance was a group of SharpClaws. Arti recognized them from a few days prior, when they had been taking over the base simply so their leader could chat with Wolf. The Star Wolf captain had never told his teammates the full story about General Scales, and Arti had all but forgotten, whilst on the mission.

Arti watched intently, as a SharpClaw came out the main doors, carrying something in his talons... It appeared to be a cage of some sort. He showed it to his comrades, and they all shared a laugh. Then, the SharpClaw gave the cage a mighty toss. It landed hard, then tumbled across the ground, coming to a stop not far from where Arti was.

The SharpClaws all entered the building together, so Arti took a chance to dash into the open, and grab the cage. He then quickly returned to his hiding place. That was when he finally realized what was in the cage. Or, I should say, who.

"Lazlo!" the robotics expert exclaimed.

The little fellow had been harshly crammed into a cage that wasn't nearly big enough for him. It had to be uncomfortable, and then of course, there was the tumble he had just taken. Arti couldn't see his face to tell if he was awake... Or even alive.

He deftly wrenched off the small door in the front, then proceeded to carefully remove the top of the cage as well. Then, he gently lifted Lazlo from his prison, and sat him down on the ground.

"Lazlo... Can you hear me?" he asked. He did a quick scan of his vitals, with his onboard computer system, and breathed a sigh of relief. Lazlo was breathing.

"Come on, wake up... Open your eyes, you little marshmallow."

After a few prods, Lazlo's eyelids began to flicker. Then, they opened.

"Ohhhhh... I feel awful!" the little fellow moaned. "I shouldn't have ate so much ice cream, it made me have a terrible nightmare."

Arti chuckled.

"I don't think it was a nightmare, Lazlo," he said. "Mumbo's shaman stick got broken, and negated his recent spells... Panther and Mafefe were most likely returned to normal. Were they the ones who did this to you?"

Lazlo frowned, searching his memory, then nodded.

"I suppose so," he said slowly. "Yes. They were there. After Kain's holomessage came in, I was hungry, and went to leave the computer room, but they were in the doorway." He shivered. "Panther wanted to shred me with his claws..."

"Why didn't he?"

"Well, Mafefe stopped him at the last second, and asked Panther if he could do the honors," Lazlo replied. "He said he had an idea... He was going to put me in a cage, and then suspend me over a fire. 'Roast a marshmallow...' he'd said."

Arti's eyes shone with anger, as he imagined roasting Mafefe over a fire, for a moment.

"So, what happened after that? I mean, you weren't roasted, and then, the SharpClaws tossed you out," he said, returning to reality.

"Well... It was a close thing, really," Lazlo said, glancing back toward the base. "Panther left him to it, roasting me I mean, and started trying to get into the computer system. Mafefe shoved me into that cage, and left the room. He went to one of the private quarters, talking about finding a lighter..."

"And?"

"He sat me down in the center of the room, and then Panther yelled out to him..." Lazlo shrugged. "I'm not sure why... Probably the SharpClaws coming. He just gave me an angry sort of look, and then disappeared."

"What about the SharpClaws? Did Panther and Mafefe have a run-in with them?" Arti asked.

"No, they left before those minature T-Rexes entered H.Q.," Lazlo told him. "I think they used the portal generator... I could barely hear them, but I think Panther said something about Venomia City... And Mafefe's destiny, or something." He shrugged, then went on. "The SharpClaws came shortly afterwards, and they started rummaging through various rooms. Eventually that one found me... I played dead, so he brought me out here, and tossed me."

"Hmm," Arti said, thoughtfully. "That's quite a tale." He paused, then said, "You know, I'm... I'm glad you're alive, Lazlo."

Lazlo smiled.

"Thank you, Mr. Articerile," he said. "And thank you for getting me out of that cage."

"No problem," he said. "Say, I'd better comm the boss, and tell him what's going on. He's been worried about you."

"Really?"

"Not that he'd fully admit it, but yeah."

Arti got out his comm link, and set the signal for Wolf's comm.

"Articerile to Captain O'Donnell... Come in. I have important news," he said. He got no answer, so he tried again. After several failed attempts to raise Wolf, Arti checked the signal tracker on his comm. His signal from Venom was leaving strong... But it was apparently dying as soon as it reached Lom airspace.

"What gives?" he wondered aloud.

"You can't get through?" Lazlo asked him.

"No, something's blocking my signal," Arti replied. "And whatever it is, it's on Lom." Seeing Lazlo's quizzical look, he gave him a brief rundown on what had happened on the mission, ending with the fact that Wolf and company had went to the planet Lom to overhaul the new ship.

"That's amazing!" Lazlo said. "I wish I had been there to see all of that!"

"I wish I had been, too," Arti said, ruefully, thinking of his coma. "Anyway... It looks like I'm going to have to forget about contacting Wolf. So, either I head back into space, and go to Lom... Or I stay here, and we figure out how to deal with the SharpClaws on our own." He already knew which one he preferred.

Lazlo swallowed hard, glancing nervously back at the base.

"Us? D-deal with the Sh-sharpClaws?" he stammered. "But... I don't even have my shovel!"

Arti had to laugh.

"I don't expect you to fight, Lazlo," he said, smirking. "I can handle that... The _XV-88_ is parked up the mountain. And, if it came to it, the _LandBlasters_ are in the hangar. I won't lack firepower."

Lazlo breathed a sigh of relief, but still looked worried as he said, "There seem to be an awful lot of them... I'm not sure how many, but I'd guess at least twelve."

Arti didn't lack confidence in his abilities, and he wasn't afraid of the SharpClaws, no matter how many of them there were. But, he also knew that his best bet was to form a battle plan, and not just foolishly go in guns blazing.

"Well, let's think about this for a minute," Arti said, more to himself than Lazlo. "The best thing would be to draw them out in the open. Unload the heavy weaponry on them, maybe a smart bomb, or some charged lazer shots. That might take them out in one attempt."

"How can you lure them all out here at once, though?" Lazlo inquired.

"Bait, of course," Arti replied. "And... Wait." He quickly contemplated the thought that had jumped to the front of his mind. "Oh yes. That could work." He looked at Lazlo, and said, "Have you ever been told not to press the big red button, and yet found yourself _really _wanting to do it anyway?"

"Yeah, sure, why?"

"Well, guess what, Laz? I'm going to _let _you push the big red button." Arti grinned like an evil genius. If this plan worked, he'd have quite a story to tell Wolf and the others when he saw them next.

_End of Chapter Seventeen_


	18. Two Evil Plots for the Price of One

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

_Chapter Eighteen : Two Evil Plots for the Price of One_

"Get ready, they're coming back!"

"I'm ready... But I won't shoot _him_. Understand?"

"Hey, we're not killing any of them... But if they fight us, they'll need to be stunned. And that includes _him_."

"Fine..."

Inside the main living area of the wing that Lo Mo No had given Star Wolf, two figures hid in the darkness. They were tense, nervous, and excited... Well, one of them was excited. The other was troubled. Suddenly, they heard the sound of voices, and the door began to open.

"Hold steady... Wait until they're completely inside," one of the assailants whispered to the other.

Wolf and his teammates filed into the room, joking and laughing.

"Somebody get the light," Wolf called out, wishing he still had his eyepiece, which had a night vision mode.

The two hidden enemies tensed, ready to spring out. And then...

"Hold it!"

"Hands in the air!"

"Leave the light off!"

"Use that shaman stick and die!"

Wolf, Andrew, Mumbo, Kay-Tee, and Dox all turned slowly... To look out into the courtyard they'd just entered from. Several shapes could be see outside the doorway, and the glinting barrels of blaster rifles were visible in the shadows.

Wolf cursed under his breath, and raised his hands.

"Better do what they say," he murmured. "For now."

The two assailants hidden in the room were confused, and worried... They quickly edged their way toward the back of the room, and ducked down behind a couch, just as the lights came on.

"Well, now, perhaps you should set down any weapons you might have, _gentlemen_?"

Wolf glared at the felinoid before him... It was Lo Mo No.

"What's the idea... Sir?" he asked, looking at the armed guards standing around and beside Lo.

"The real reason you're here, of course," Lo said, grinning. "I think you'll find it most interesting."

Wolf exchanged glances with his team, and contemplated making a fight of it... But in the end, he sullenly excepted their

fate, as they were all weaponless, aside from Mumbo.

"Shaman, place that staff on the floor," Lo commanded.

"Mumbo turn Lo Man into googly-eyed kitten first chance Mumbo get," Mumbo said, tossing his shaman stick down.

"I'm sure you will," Lo said, smirking. "Now, Wolf... I believe you and I need to have a discussion. If you would follow me?" He walked out the door, into the courtyard. Wolf followed, the guards parting to let him by, two of them following him out.

"Now, as you can probably tell, I know all too well who you and your comrades really are," Lo said, sitting on a bench. "I also happen to know quite a lot about you, Wolf O'Donnell... Which is why I knew you were perfect for my plan. How fortuitous that you stopped here on my planet."

"Plan?"

"You see, I need you to retrieve something for me," the president explained.

Wolf raised an eyebrow.

"And if I refuse?" he said.

"Your crew will die," Lo said simply, smoothing back his whiskers. "Slowly... And painfully."

"I guess I don't have a choice, then," Wolf said, angrily. He briefly thought about how much he had changed... There was a time when he might have just left teammates to die, if he meant he would escape. But that was a different time, and a different Wolf. "Why don't you tell me what it is you need me for?"

"There is a tomb filled with traps and unknown evils, that is the resting place of a great treasure."

"Treasure?"

"The Golden Idol of Wannamakacasha," Lo replied, his cat eyes glowing with greed. "A magnificent piece, with value beyond denari... Though, it will bring quite a lot of it."

Wolf had never heard of the idol, and he didn't care how much it was worth.

"Why do you want me? I'm no treasure hunter," he said.

"You're quick, brave, and rescourceful," Lo told him. "And... You're rather an expert on detecting traps, aren't you?"

Wolf's eyes narrowed.

"How do you know about that?" he asked.

"Oh, I know a lot of things, including... Your real first name," the felinoid politician said, sneering.

"Don't... You... Dare!" Wolf said, biting off each word. His good eye glinted with rage. "My name is Wolf... Period."

Lo winced slightly, as if he was being pelted with Wolf's anger.

"Yes, well, I only meant to suggest that I'd done quite a bit of research on you," he said, trying to maintain control of the conversation. "Anyway, I know that you are someone who can accomplish this mission... Or at least, if you can't do it, no one can."

"Have you tried Indiana Jones?"

"Who?"

Wolf sighed, and facepalmed.

"Nevermind," he said. "Tell me... How many people have tried to get this idol before?"

"Oh, countless people through the ages," Lo said, shrugging. "And I've sent over two dozen myself."

"What happened to all of them?"

"They never returned," Lo replied. "We must assume that they died."

Wolf rolled his eyes. As if he hadn't risked his life enough lately.

"If I get you this Idol, then what?" he asked.

"You and your team will be allowed to board your new ship, and fly away," Lo told him. "Or, you could stay and be my guests, but I doubt that interests you at this point."

"You'd be right," Wolf said curtly. "Besides, we need to get out of here as soon as possible."

"Well, then, perhaps you'd like to get right to the tomb, and... if you'll pardon the term... _snare _my prize?"

"Yeah, sure, let's go," the Star Wolf commander said, nodding.

His team was led out into the courtyard, to give Wolf a chance to explain what was happening. He wasn't sure how to tell them that if he failed to get the idol, something that no one had ever managed to do, then they'd likely all die.

"_His highness_ over there wants me to get him some idol out of a tomb," Wolf told them. "If I don't, we all buy it. So, I'm going to do it... You guys sit tight, I'll be back soon." He then lowered his voice to a whisper, his mouth barely moving as he said, "If I don't come back, go down fighting, and take some of these sons of Martians with you."

Turning to Lo, he said, "All right, let's do this... _Sir_."

Kay-Tee, Dox, Mumbo, and Andrew exchanged glances, as they watched their team leader leave with Lo and some of the guards. The rest of the guards remained there, weapons trained on them.

"Good luck, boss!" Kay-Tee called.

Wolf glanced over his shoulder, and smirked like the confident commander he always was... Even though, at that moment, he didn't feel _quite _so sure of himself.

*****

"Quick, out the back way, while they're outside!"

The two assailants inside the sitting room made a dash for the doors that led into the back garden. They quickly climbed the stone wall at the rear, dropped down on the other side, and ran until the palace was out of sight.

"%^$# it, that's spoiled the whole thing!" one of them said, as they stopped and caught their breath.

"I had a bad feeling about this from the start," the other said. "I just knew something would go wrong."

"But what on Lom made that whacky president turn on O'Donnell?"

"Maybe he found out who he was... Or maybe he knew all along, too. Maybe we weren't the only ones with a plan to trap team Star Wolf."

"I don't get it, though. Is he going to sell O'Donnell to Lord Andross, like we were?"

"It's possible. I don't know. But I can't help worrying about... You know who."

"Enough already," the first one said, as they started making their way through the streets again. "You're getting too soft."

"Maybe," said the second one. "But it seems to me that we owe him the decency-"

"He owes _us!_ Are you forgetting what happened?"

"No, no... I remember. All too well. But... That wasn't his fault."

"It doesn't matter. We deserve this haul, and we'll get it. We just need to get in contact with that friend of yours in the presidential offices, again. See if he knows where Lo Mo No is taking O'Donnell."

"Yeah, sure."

"Don't worry so much... I told you this is going to work out fine. It's a little more complicated now, but it's still going to work out. I've got a few tricks up my sleeve."

The first one paused, and glanced at his partner.

"You just leave it to me, Bluett," he said. "We're going to be rich."

"Whatever you say, Mindo..."

*****

Articerile was pressed up against a wall, holding his breath, trying not to make even the slightest move. The SharpClaw who he had almost walked into still had no clue he was there... But the creature was standing only a few feet away.

Arti was in his least comfortable form for battle or life in general... His own. Outside of his mech-suit he felt vulnerable... He wasn't entirely sure about this plan, but assuming he didn't get caught, and assuming the SharpClaws were as dumb as they looked, and assuming Lazlo did what he was told... Well, there was a fifty-fifty chance of victory.

Finally the SharpClaw ambled away, and around a corner. Arti exhaled, and wiped away the sweat that had beaded up on his brow. He pulled out his comm link, and said, "Laz, you there?"

_"Y-yes, I'm here, and I haven't touched anything."_

"Good. You remember what to do?"

_"P-perfectly, Mr. Articerile."_

"Arti's fine."

_"Oh... Right."_

"All right, I'm going in now..." Arti paused, mentally adding up his odds for surviving this stunt. They were low. "Be ready when I give you the signal."

_"I will... Take care of yourself, Mr. Ar-... Arti."_

"10-4, Laz..."

Arti put away the comm link, and smirked. It was now or never. And he preferred _now_.

*****

"Mumbo no like this. Wolf Man give E-Rated version of what goes on."

Dox nodded, glancing at Mumbo.

"I know, it seemed way too easy to be worth all of this," he said, motioning towards the guards. "What gives?"

"I have a bad feeling about it," Kay-Tee said, staring wistfully at the door. "I bet the boss needs us."

"Mumbo turn Lo Man into cat_fish _with googly eyes," the shaman said angrily.

Dox chuckled, and said, "And then Kay-Tee could fry him up for us."

Kay-Tee laughed at that.

"That's low even for you, Doxxy," he said, grinning.

"There are four of us, and about... Ten guards," Andrew murmured, thinking aloud. "We have no weapons, and they're armed to the fangs." He glanced at the others. "We're #&$%ed."

"Not necessarily," Dox said, raising an eyebrow. He closed his eyes, frowning, as if trying to remember something. "I thought it was just a dream, and maybe it was... But..." He opened his eyes, and glanced from one of his teammates to the other, then glanced at the guards outside the door. "I might not be as unarmed as I seem."

Mumbo, Kay-Tee, and Andrew all brightened.

"What Pair of Socks Man have?" Mumbo asked for all of them.

Dox hesitated... They'd think he was crazy if he told them. But it might be their only chance.

"When I was in that coma... I... I had this experience," he started slowly. "It was weird. I was facing the Grim Reaper, and I had to fight him to live. If I won, I'd wake up... And have certain powers."

Mumbo and Andrew exchanged looks of skepticism, but Kay-Tee excitedly asked, "What kind of powers?"

Dox lowered his voice, and leaned forward.

"Here's what happened..." he said.

*****

One of the president's aides, Felix, was hurrying away to find a quiet place to answer his comm in private. When he was sure he wouldn't be overheard, he opened the link.

_"Felix?"_

"Bluett, my friend, hello," the felinoid said. "Things are quite hectic here, so I can only spare a moment."

_"That's okay, I just need to know one thing."_

"Ask away."

_"Where did the president take Wolf O'Donnell?"_

"To his private garden," Felix replied, promptly. "If you're planning on going there, forget it... It's securely guarded."

_"Great... Thanks, Felix... Let me know if you see O'Donnell again."_

"I will," Felix promised. He closed the link, and thought to himself, _"I doubt I will see him again, though."_

*****

"It's been rather handy having the entrance to the tombs on my palace grounds," Lo Mo No was saying. "Although, it's been rather painful as well... Knowing such treasure is so very close, yet so unattainable. Until now... Hopefully."

Wolf said nothing as they made their way into a part of the grounds he had not seen. He didn't care where the tomb was, or how much sleep Lo lost longing for the idol. He just wanted to get the whole thing over with... One way or another.

"Ah, here we are," Lo said. They had arrived in what seemed to be just another garden. However, in the middle of the area was a circle made of stone tiles, in the center of which was a set of steps, leading down into the ground, and into darkness. "Inviting, isn't it?"

Wolf shrugged.

"Do I get a torch?" he asked.

"Yes, yes indeed," Lo said. "As well as a rope, some climbing equipment, and a few other items that you might find useful."

"Gee, thanks," Wolf said, smirking. "Should be a cinch, then."

"For your sake, and your friends' sakes, you should hope so," Lo said, his eyes growing cold.

Wolf was handed a coil of rope, which he slung over one shoulder, a satchel, which he slung over the other shoulder, and a torch. He walked over to the steps, and looked down into the darkness. He hated going underground... Nowadays, anyway.

"Good luck, Wolf," Lo said, waving.

Gritting his teeth, Wolf started down, his torch held before him. Large spiderwebs criscrossed the way down, but he burned through them with the torch. The musty smell of the underground met his nose, and he shook his head. Inviting, indeed.

_End of Chapter Eighteen_


	19. The Tomb of Wannamakacasha

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

_Chapter Nineteen : The Tomb of Wannamakacasha_

"I hate tombs." Even as Wolf said it, he realized it wasn't true. There had always a part of him that enjoyed exploring the ancient, underground realms. But he hadn't done it for quite some time.

Wolf took several steps forward, down the steps, holding the torch forward. The stairs were covered in a fine, red dust, and led down into the darkness. The walls were already seeming too close together to Wolf... He paused to examine some strange markings on them.

"'The wise should proceed, and the foolish should turn back'..." he read, his past coming back vividly, and along with it, his old abilities and knowledge. "Hopefully being forced to come down here doesn't categorize me as foolish."

He made his way down into a large entry room. Once glance told him that it hadn't always been as bare as it now was. Wolf could imagine all the statues, and pots, and scrolls, and trinkets that had been taken away by Lo or his predecessors. This room was safe, and easy to get to, and therefore, the first to be looted.

Wolf saw a passageway to the left, and headed down a short set of stairs. He stopped at the bottom, and looked ahead, apprehensively, knowing that the traps could be anywhere along the way. He took a tentative step forward, holding out the torch.

"This is where it starts to get dicey..."

On either wall, alcoves could be seen. In them stood short stone figures, obviously carved out of the stone walls or else they too would have been scavenged. The diminuitive figures had a demonic look about them, and Wolf didn't rest his gaze on them for long.

Wolf tested the next tile gingerly, then the next, then the next.

"So far so good," he murmured. His next two steps were safe as well. But then something changed.

He barely noticed it at first... Not having been in a tomb in many years had left him rusty. But it only took him a moment to realize that the tile he was now standing on had sunk down about half an inch.

"Ah, &#%$," Wolf muttered, as the short statues all opened their mouths, revealing shiny teeth. He dove to the floor, tossing the torch ahead of him as hard as he could, and then rolled forward, as darts began flying left and right. Wolf kept rolling, trying to maintain speed, feeling a dart clip his ear.

It dawned on him was was coming next, and when the pit opened at the end of the passage, he managed to reach out and grab a column nearby, digging in with his claws. He quickly wrapped his legs around the column, just as it broke free, and fell across the pit, creating a bridge.

Wolf hung upside down from his legs, and looked down. Surprisingly, the sandy floor of the pit was quite close... So close that Wolf could've reached out and touched it, if he'd wanted to. Not that he did. Maybe it was the bones, or maybe it was the dozens of scorpions the size of skillets. Either way, he quickly reached up, and pulled himself atop the column.

He caught his breath, then shuffled across to the other side. Wolf found his torch on the other side, and he said a silent thank you that his toss had been hard enough to clear the pit. He picked it up, relit it, and examined the next passage.

The passage was fairly straightforward... Plenty of markings on the walls and floors, but no statues. Wolf knew better than to relax, though. He took slow, hesitant steps forward, his eyes darting about. Halfway down the passage, he was beginning to think there wasn't a trap there, when he noticed the flame of his torch flicker, and change direction slightly.

"Argh!"

Wolf threw himself flat on the floor just as a large bronze disk, with razor sharp edges, swung like a pendulum right down the center of the passageway. Wolf felt the breeze it stirred as it whipped by him silently. A moment passed, and he debated getting up, but thought better of it, just as the disk made another pass!

Wolf leaped to his feet, holding tight to his torch, and ran along behind the disk. As soon as it reached the height of it's arc, he dodged to the side, then jumped through a doorway to the right. He stumbled, scattering some poor soul's bones, waved his arms repeatedly, and just barely kept from falling against a snare.

He swallowed hard, ducked under it, and backed away. Reaching down he found a pebble, and carefully tossed it at the snare. Immediately the floor crumbled away three feet in either direction.

Wolf sighed, shaking his head.  
"I'm getting clumsy," he muttered. He noted that he'd lost his coil of rope back there somewhere, but decided against going back for it.

He looked around him, at the circular room he had entered. The path corkscrewed downward, the wall curving inward all the way down, out of sight. Wolf raised an eyebrow, walking slowly down the path. He noticed a deep groove that had been worn into the wall, but otherwise, nothing of signifigance.

Wolf quicked his pace, keeping a sharp eye out for tripwires. To his surprise, he reached the bottom unscathed. He was met with a dead end, however. The wall was rounded inward, but soildly pressed against the outer walls. There was no way to move on.

The only thing that was different here was the large amount of white dust piled on the floor.

"Hmm... Sand?" Wolf murmured, as he stooped to examine it. "No. Weird... I'd almost think it was powedered bone, but... Why would that be here? What could have ground up bone into dust?" He didn't notice the spiderweb-like snare that he'd disturbed when he kneeled down.

An extremely loud grating noise filled the chamber that he did notice. He jumped up, and started part way back up the curving ramp. He strained his eyes, holding the torch out. Then... He saw it.

"Now I remember why I gave up doing this," he muttered.

A huge stone was making it's way slowly down the curving path. It was large enough to grind his _Wolfen_ to dust, let alone Wolf himself. It was completely smooth, and perfectly rounded, like a giant's marble.

Wolf glanced back toward the dead end, and it suddenly all made sense. The stone would fit perfectly against the wall, grind whoever was there to dust, and then, after a certain amount of time, a doorway would open, allowing the stone to exit, and return to it's position, somehow.

The stone was so large, that going back the other way was out of the question. There had to be some way of surviving, though... There always was. It was the way of the tombs. The wise triumphed.

"Think, O'Donnell, think!" he snarled, trying not to look at the advancing stone. "Wait... The groove..."

He hurried back up the passage, as close as he dared to the stone, then closely examined the groove in the wall again. He started forward, moving only slightly faster than the stone. When he'd almost reached the end, he noticed there was one spot that bore no signs of the groove. A shallow dip in the wall.

Wolf made a quick decision, and pressed his back against the shallow indent, flattening his body as much as he possibly could, turning his head to the side, dousing the torch and holding it at his side, and grudgingly tossing his satchel into the open. And then he waited. Moments passed, and then the stone was suddenly there. The grinding was so loud that it felt like there were drills boring into Wolf's brain.

Then it was brushing against him. Then it was pressing against him. Then it was crushing him. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't move... Wolf's mind was screaming, but he couldn't utter a sound. He realized he had chosen the wrong spot, and that he was now about to die... To be smeared across the curved wall of the tomb, like jelly on a slice of toast.

Just when he was about to black out from lack of oxygen, the pressure began to ease, little by little, until the stone passed! Wolf collapsed on the floor, gasping for air, his chest aching, the right side of his face scraped up. He heard the stone thud into the dead end, and then he heard a mechanism click.

As much pain as he was in, he knew he might have only a minute to get through the exit, or face the stone again. Wolf crawled on hands and knees, pushing through the powdered bone, and following the stone through the now open tunnel. He rolled to the side to avoid the hole that the stone dropped through, and lay on a solid platform, breathing hard.

When his strength returned, Wolf stood, hurting but not badly injured. Lighting his torch with the matches he'd luckily grabbed from his satchel before it was ground up, he looked to the side, and saw the entrance to a small room.

He took a step inside, then noticed an unlit torch on the wall. He lit it, and then the one he spied across from it. Now Wolf could clearly see the room. And it wasn't a pretty sight. This was the treasure room, and apparently nine people before Wolf had made it this far. Their skeletons were strewn about as proof.

Five were heaped together before the large golden chest in the center of the room. Three were piled on top of one another in front of a smaller, bronze chest to the right. And one was sitting with it's back against a plain, wooden box, on the left. Getting as close as he dared to the ones in the middle of the room, Wolf saw what had killed them.

"They killed themselves," he whispered. The dead men had employed several tactics, it seemed. One had strangled itself, others had driven daggers through their hearts, and so on.

This proved true for those on the right of the room, as well. Wolf was feeling very uneasy. He carefully crossed the room, and examined the single skeleton sitting in front of the wooden box. Then he smiled.

"So that's it," he said, nodding. "They went for the pretty boxes... And whatever was inside them, drove them to kill themselves. But all along you were sitting here in front of the treasure... Weren't you, Wannamakacasha?"

The skeleton seemed to grin at Wolf, it's empty eye sockets staring wide. From it's neck hung a chain made of some greenish metal, and a matching medallion hung from that. The symbols on it were obvious in meaning to Wolf.

"The ruler of all, mouthpiece of the gods, yada yada yada. Hello, old boy... How's the last several thousand years been?"

It was a trick that many tombs employed. The best treasures were often kept in the cheapest looking chests. And the flashy chests were booby-trapped. Wolf shook his head. So easy. Yet, so easy to be wrong, too.

With the utmost caution he reached to open the wooden chest, careful not to disturb the skeleton. He had a feeling that even Wannamakacasha himself might be booby-trapped. When the lid was off, he held the torch over the chest to examine the contents.

"Ah..."

The glow of gold met his eyes. The statue was only about twelve inches high, but the worksmanship was extravagantly well done. It depicted a felinoid wearing the outfit of a wizard, wearing a crown. The eyes were a strange sort of purple gem which seemed to glow. This was the Golden Idol of Wannamakacasha.

Wolf hesitated, then gently picked up the statue. Oddly, it was warm to the touch... It also made his hand tingle, as if it were charged with some electricity. He had little time to think about this, though. The floor had begun to quiver beneath his feet.

"Swell."

Tucking the idol firmly into his belt, Wolf scanned the room for an escape, but there was none. Unless you counted the hole that the stone had fallen into, and Wolf didn't.

He tried to keep his cool, as sand started trickling down from the ceiling, and the bones began clinking together from the force of the vibration.

Wolf looked over the whole room, but aside from the skeletons of Wannamakacasha and the raiders, the three boxes, and a coffin, there was nothing else in the room.

"Wait... Coffin," Wolf said, hurrying over. "Yes. Yes! Why would there be a coffin, if old Wanna was out on the floor?" He quickly tugged on the lid of the coffin, which seemed to be made of that same greenish metal of Wannamakacasha's medallion. The lid came up, and Wolf was met with a welcome sight. Nothing but darkness, and a yawning hole.

"Here goes," he muttered, as the tiles on the ceiling began to fall, one of them flattening old Wanna. Wolf winced, gave a wave, then jumped down into the hole.

He landed in a sitting position on a steep, smooth ramp. He slid down it, trying to keep his balance, losing his torch, and almost losing the idol before grabbing it. He went faster, and faster, and faster... And then, the ramp shot upward, the speed carrying him up, up, up.

Wolf flew off the end of it, and crashed into a wall which proved thinner than it looked. He smashed through it, and tumbled into an empty, yet familiar, room.

He was back at the entrance.

"Thanks, Creator," Wolf muttered. He got shakily to his feet, dusted himself off, and winced as he found several cuts and bruises. It didn't matter, though. He had the idol.

Wearily he trudged up the steps in the darkness, heading for the square of starry sky he could see above him. A minute later, he came out into the open.

A dozen blaster rifles turned in his direction, as did the face of Lo Mo No. Saying he looked shocked was an understatement. He looked like he was seeing a ghost.

"Is... Are... Did..." he stammered. "O'Donnell! You're alive!"

"You got that right, _your highness_," Wolf said, glaring. "No thanks to you, or old Wanna..."

"Wait... Is that... Can it be...?"

"Yeah, here's your freaking idol," Wolf said, tossing it at Lo, who snatched it greedily from the air. "Have it... Love it... Enjoy it. I'm done. Am I free to go?"

"Amazing... Astounding... Unbelievable..."

"AM I FREE TO GO?" Wolf thundered.

"Eek! What? Yes! Of course!" Lo said, coming to his senses. "Indeed... And with my heartfelt thanks. You have made me a rich and powerful leader."

"Bully for you," Wolf said, turning to walk away. "I'm getting my team, and then I'm going to sleep in my ship until morning. After that, I'm getting off your furball of a planet for good."

Without waiting for a reply, Wolf limped away, heading for his teammates. Lo ordered one of his men to go along, and tell the other guards to back down, and the felinoid had to run to get ahead of Wolf.

By the time the Star Wolf commander reached the courtyard outside the wing they were staying in, the guards had already dispersed, and Mumbo, Andrew, Kay-Tee, and Dox were standing there, looking perplexed. At the sight of their leader, they brightened, and rushed forward.

"Boss!"

"Chief!"

"Sir!"

"Wolf Man!"

"All right, all right!" Wolf said, waving his hands to keep them back. "Yes, I'm back. Yes, I lived. Yes, these cuts hurt as bad as they look like they should."

His teammates laughed, and followed him to the wing.

"Get anything you brought in here together, we're leaving," Wolf tolf them. "We'll spend the rest of this crummy night on the ship, and then fly out in the morning."

"Yes!" Andrew and Dox chorused, high-fiving each other.

Mumbo even seemed pleased, though he had enjoyed the plush room he'd been given. The only one who seemed less than thrilled was Kay-Tee.

"I was hoping I'd see Mindo and Bluett again," he said. "Hey, maybe we could swing by the salvage yard on the way back to the ship. They rent a couple of rooms above the warehouse."

Wolf turned to snarl a **no** at the young pilot, but seeing the earnest look on his face, Wolf hesitated, then sighed. Shrugging, he said, "Why not? Maybe they'll let you stay with them, so you can talk..." To himself he disgustedly thought, _"I'm getting soft."_

"Thanks, boss!"

"Uh-huh..."

Grabbing what little they'd brought with them, the group set off, miraculously finding their way through the maze of dark, palace passageways to the street, where Kay-Tee led the way to the salvage yard.

Reaching the place, Kay-Tee said, "You guys can go on, if you want... I'm positive they'll be glad to see me."

Wolf exchanged a glance with Dox, recalling what the spy had said about suspecting Mindo and Bluett of being less than savory characters. As tired and hurting as he was, Wolf said, "We'll go in with you, just to be sure."

Kay-Tee enthusiastically agreed, wanting the others (aside from Dox) to meet Bluett. He knocked on the main doors of the warehouse, and a rather rotund Sullustan came to the door.

"What do ya want? We're closed..." he grumbled, peering out the door.

"We want to see Mindo and Bluett," Kay-Tee replied. "I'm an old friend of theirs."

The Sullustan squinted at the Anthro-Avian, and then said, "I recall seeing you here earlier... So okay. Just don't start some loud party, I'm planning on going to bed soon."

He opened the door all the way, then shuffled off. Kay-Tee made his way up a nearby stairway, with the others following, and went to one of the doors.

"Mindo? Bluett?" he called, knocking. "You guys in there? It's me, Kazzy!" No answer came, however.

"Guess they're out, let's go," Dox said, turning around.

"Maybe they're out salvaging a wreck, or something," Andrew suggested.

Wolf nodded.

"No since waiting around, kid," he said to Kay-Tee. "Let's get back to the ship..."

Kay-Tee looked dejected, but followed along as they made their way down the stairs, to the main floor again. Kay-Tee was trailing the group, walking slowly, and as he passed a shadowy corner, a hand reached out from behind the crates and grabbed him.

"Erk! Boss!"

Wolf and the others, who were about to step out the doorway, spun around. They saw Kay-Tee being held tightly, with a gun to his head. The person holding the gun was none other than Mindo.

"Hello, O'Donnell," he said, smirking. "I've been trying to get ahold of you all night."

Wolf glared at him, fighting the urge to draw his own blaster.

"Here I am," he said, through gritted teeth. "Why don't you let the kid go, so we can talk?"

"Oh, I don't think so, Captain," Mindo said, shaking his head. "Kazzy here is going to get you to do whatever I want you to do."

_**_End of Chapter Nineteen_**_


	20. From Lom, to Venom, and back

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

_Chapter Twenty : _

_**From Lom, to Venom, and back again**__..._

_Or..._

_**Hostage Situation**__..._

_...__**Pushing the Big Red Button**__..._

_...__**and Getting the Heck Outta Lom**__._

"Mindo... Erg... Why are you... Doing this?" Kay-Tee said, struggling to speak with Mindo's arm around his throat. "We're friends!"

"We're not friends, Kazzy... We're old squad mates, that's all," Mindo told him. "Right now, the money I'm going to get for selling your boss to Lord Andross means a lot more to me than any past experiences we had together."

"You're going to sell me to Andross?" Wolf asked, raising an eyebrow. "You already have a deal with him?"

"Well, no... Not exactly," Mindo muttered. "But I heard it through the pipeline that you were on his hit list..."

Wolf laughed.

"He won't pay you, Mindo," he said. "You're deluding yourself."

"Shut up, or the kid gets it!" Mindo snapped.

"Mindo! What the heck are you doing?"

Wolf glanced behind Kay-Tee and his captor to see Bluett walking up. He apparently hadn't been wise to the situation before hand... Apparently Mindo was winging it.

"I'm taking care of business, Bluett," Mindo said, not looking away from Wolf and the others. "Now... Go over there and see if they have guns."

"Why are you holding a gun to Kazzy's head?" Bluett asked, standing beside his friend.

"It's necessary!" Mindo exclaimed. "Just go check them for guns, all right?"

"Let him go... Now."

"No! Do as I tell you! I'm in charge, here, this was my plan, and you'll do what I say!"

Wolf could see what was coming clear as day, but Mindo was losing focus, and he also wasn't even looking at Bluett. That left him wide open for what happened.

Bluett socked him hard in the side of the head, shoving Kay-Tee from his grasp. He then fell on top of his friend, trying to grab the gun! Kay-Tee stumbled away, Dox and Mumbo rushing forward to grab him and pull him clear, Andrew was a few steps behind Wolf, who was heading quickly for the scuffle.

"You traitorous, cowardly sonuvamartian!" Mindo yelled, pushing Bluett off of him. He felt his hand touch a pipe laying on the floor, and picked it up.

Wolf opened his mouth to shout a warning, but it was too late. Mindo cracked his partner hard over the head, and Bluett went limp on the floor, blood trickling down the side of his head. Wolf put on the speed, wanting to beat the crud out of Mindo before he saw it coming, but one of his injuries chose that moment to give a very painful twinge, causing him to stumble, and fall.

Mindo leaped to his feet, and leveled his blaster at Wolf.

"If I can't get rich, at least I can kill you!" he said, his eyes gleaming with insanity now. "You'll die... Just like Gogeta and Lt. Patrick! They didn't deserve it, but you do!"

He squeezed the trigger as Wolf got back to his feet. Just when he came to the realization that he was toast, Wolf suddenly got shunted to one side, and a figure leaped forward. The blaster went off, and a bolt of blue light hit the person point blank, throwing them hard into a stack of crates.

Mindo blinked in surprised. And that was the last thing he would do. Quick as lightning, Wolf kicked the blaster out of Mindo's hand, thumbing it to it's highest setting as he caught it, and pulled the trigger blink later. The ex-special ops agent was vaporized where he stood.

Dox, Mumbo, and Kay-Tee hurried over, Kay-Tee dropping down to check on Bluett.

"You okay, chief?" Dox asked.

"Yeah... But, if it hadn't been for... Andrew!" Wolf spun around, and looked downward. Andrew was laying amidst a pile of crates, and he wasn't moving. Wolf hurried over, and kneeled down. "Hey... Andrew... Can you hear me?"

He started pulling away the junk that had all but buried the pilot, and Dox and Mumbo joined in. Soon Andrew was free of the debris.

"Is Drew Man dead?" Mumbo asked quietly.

"Did you see him? Man... That was so awesome how he just dove in there, and... And..." Dox trailed off.

Wolf leaned down, trying to find the blaster wound, wondering where Andrew had been hit. He saw a dark circular patch in the middle of his chest, and sighed.

"He's gone," he said, standing, then sitting on a crate when his legs felt weak. "I can't believe it. He died for me. He took that blaster bolt for me! That stupid, idiotic... Brave kid." Wolf shook his head, closing his eyes.

Dox and Mumbo exchanged a sad glance. They'd actually liked Andrew, after he'd gotten his act together. And the amount of courage he had shown, to dive in front of that blast... Well, it was extraordinary.

"I'm sorry, chief," Dox said quietly.

"Mumbo miss Drew Man," the shaman added.

Wolf nodded, his eyes still closed.

"Yeah," he said. "He wasn't so bad, you know... He had guts, it just took him a while to find them. And he was a darn good pilot. Darn good. I owe him my life, and... I'll never be able to repay that debt, now."

"I'm sure we could figure something out... Maybe I could get an extra vacation?"

Wolf snorted.

"It'd be just like him to say something like that," he said. "He would-" Wolf stopped short, his eyes flying open. Before him stood Dox and Mumbo, who were staring down at the floor in surprise.

Looking down, Wolf saw Andrew... Sitting up.

"Anyone get the number of that Gamorean?" he asked. "Ow... My arm is killing me..."

Wolf just stared at him in silent shock. Dox leaned down to check Andrew's arm, while Mumbo began dancing some sort of shaman happy dance.

"He's got a blaster would to his right arm," Dox murmured. "It's not that bad, though..."

"Wait... Wait!" Wolf said, shaking his head. "The chest wound!"

Dox looked at the dark spot, and then laughed.

"That's no blaster wound, chief," he said, grinning. "That's engine oil! From the parts in the crates!" He began laughing harder, as he jumped up to join Mumbo in his dance.

Andrew grinned as well.

"So, I'm not so bad, huh, sir?" he said.

Wolf glared at the nephew of Andross.

"You freaking punk!" he yelled, getting to his feet. "You can't do anything right, you can't even die when you're supposed to!" He paused, his anger receding. "But... I reckon it's good to have another _somewhat _decent pilot around, just in case."

Wolf allowed a small smile to form, briefly, then switched to his usual smirk. He offered Andrew a hand getting up, then said, "About saving my life... Thanks. But, the way I see it, you owed me, anyway. For letting you back on the team."

Andrew opened his mouth to argue that point, when Kay-Tee called out, "He's coming to!"

Wolf and the others walked over to Kay-Tee, who was helping Bluett sit up, holding a cloth to his head.

"Where's... Mindo?" he asked.

"He's dead," Kay-Tee told him. "He had to be stopped."

Bluett nodded sadly.

"I suppose I suspected it for some time... I just didn't want to believe it," he said. "He was never the same after the Vista Wars. Watching Gogeta and Lt. Patrick die, getting tortured in the detention camp... It's hard for _me _to make it through the day. Mindo just... Twisted his grief into greed."

"He was planning on selling me to Andross," Wolf commented.

"Yeah, he was," Bluett agreed. "He told me it would be easy, and that people like you deserved whatever happened to you." He grimaced. "No offense. Anyway, some contact of Mindo's told him you were in the sector, and he made plans to go off after you... Only, you showed up right on our doorstop, practically."

"I wish I'd went to Yavin III, now," Wolf said, shaking his head.

"Bluett... You attacked him to free me," Kay-Tee said. "Thanks. I know what that must've took..."

"I wouldn't let him hurt you," Bluett said, shrugging. "I had convinced myself that ambushing Captain O'Donnell was all right, that the money would be worth it... But then, when he showed no regard for the life of you, our friend... I just couldn't let that happen."

Wolf looked up as the Sullustan, Buzz, came shuffling up.

"What's with all the noise out here? I told you I was going to bed soon!" he grumbled.

"We're sorry," Kay-Tee said. "It's just that Mindo... He..."

"Got in a fight with Bluett, then took off, saying he was leaving for good," Dox improvised faster than even Wolf could.

"Oh great," Buzz said. "Now who's going to help me around here?" He shook his head, and walked away.

"Nice cover story, Dox," Wolf said.

"We ought to get you to a medic, Bluett," Kay-Tee told his old friend.

"Nah... It was just a glancing blow, I'm fine," Bluett replied, getting shakily to his feet. "I'd rather be by myself right now. Maybe I'll see you tomorrow, Kazzy..."

"We're leaving tomorrow morning," Wolf informed him.

"Oh... Well, I'll try to swing by the spaceport as early as possible, and say farewell," Bluett said. "I want to apologize for getting you all in this mess. I've certainly gained a new perspective..." He sighed, and started up the stairs. "See you tomorrow."

"Come on, let's go," Wolf ordered, steering Kay-Tee toward the door. "I'm tired, and in pain."

"Hang in there, Gramps," Dox said, grinning. The grin faded when he saw Wolf's glare, however.

"I'm 32," the Star Wolf captain declared. "I can't help it my fur is naturally grey."

Everyone but Kay-Tee laughed, as the group headed out of the warehouse. It would take the young Anthro-Avian a while to forget what happened with Mindo, if he ever could at all. It was a stinging blow to think that an old friend would change so much. And to top it off... He was dead.

Kay-Tee sighed, following his teammates as they made their way through the streets, and toward the spaceport.

_(Meanwhile... Back on Venom)_

"Hey! Fat, scaley, and ugly! Come and get me!"

"Ssscum! I will make you sssuffer for that!"

Arti thumbed his nose, and then took off around the corner. The SharpClaw followed, joining seven of his comrades. Arti made sure not to run too fast... He didn't want to lose his pursuers. He wanted to keep them just far enough back that they couldn't poke him with those laser lances they all wielded.

As he rounded another corner, he found himself in the main hall again. He knew for a fact that there were four SharpClaws milling about outside, so that would give him twelve. Lazlo's guess of their being twelve of them was off by two, which meant there must have been two more in the hangar, because they weren't in the base or outside it.

It would be too risky to try and lead the group to the hangar, and then back out into the main clearing in front of the base, so Arti just resolved to get back in his mech as soon as possible and take out the two that would undoubtedly come running from the hangar.

What he hadn't counted on, as he headed for the main doors, was one of the SharpClaws actually being clever, and taking a shortcut to get ahead of him.

"Sonuvamartian," he muttered, screeching to a halt.

The SharpClaw glared at him, holding out his laser lance.

"Come on, Ssstar Wolf perssson," he hissed. "Jussst try me!" He then began twirling the lance expertly, around and around, over his head, behind his back, and then forward again.

Arti rolled his eyes.

"I don't have time for this," he muttered, pulling his blaster and shooting the SharpClaw between the eyes. The scaley creature hit the floor with a thud, and Arti leaped over him, and lunged through the main doors, just as the other SharpClaws got within lancing range.

A few of them tripped over their dead comrade, and blocked the entrance briefly, giving Arti the time he needed to sprint ahead. Pulling his comm link as he ran, he yelled, "Laz, you ready?"

Lazlo, seated in the _XV-88_, shakily replied, _"Y-yes, Arti... When do I p-push the big red b-button?"_

"On my command," Arti responded, stopping and turning around. He was in the center of the clearing in front of the base, and staring at the entrance. Lazlo was positioned directly behind him, he knew. It was really down to timing and his own pre-aiming abilities.

The SharpClaws burst through the doors, and, catching sight of him, made a beeline for Arti. The robotics expert waited, staring down the oncoming group of eleven furious SharpClaws without a trace of fear... Well, maybe just a trace. But not much of one.

"Ready... Wait for it... Wait for it..."

Just when the hissing and roaring was about to skewer him, Arti pressed a button on his wrist computer, activating the jetpack he was wearing. He blaster up into the air, just as the SharpClaws fell into a pile, all thinking they had grabbed him, and all merely grabbing one another.

"NOW! PUSH THE BIG RED BUTTON!"

_"AHHHH!"_ Lazlo yelled for no apparent reason, as he hit the button in question with his forehead (also for no apparent reason). A prearranged command sent two nova bombs directly into the pile of confused reptilian soldiers.

The resulting explosion was spectacular, to say the least. Arti lightly touched down beside his mech, as Lazlo popped out of it, and hit the ground.

"Arti, Arti, Arti, Ar-"

"Laz, snap out of it!"

"-ti, Arti, Ar..." Lazlo shook his head. "Sorry, got a little excited there. But hey! I did it! You did it! We did it!"

"Darn straight," Arti said, smirking.

The smoke cleared, and they could both see the crater that was now marring the landscape. Well, to most people it might be hard to tell, seeing how craggy the ground was anyway, but Arti and Lazlo noticed it.

"Those lizards are just so many molecules, now," Arti said. "And... Wait, here come the other two. Better let me handle them." He nimbly jumped up into his mech, and met the two shocked SharpClaws in the field. To his surprise, they threw down their weapons.

"We sssurrender," one of them said. "We did not come here to die, sssir... Only to hurry O'Donnell along, as General Ssscalesss requesssted. To sssee if he hasss done what he promisssed to do."

Arti had no clue what Wolf had promised Scales, but he couldn't let on to that.

"You tell your boss that Captain O'Donnell always completes a mission," he said. "One way or another." Well, that was true, anyway.

"We ssshall tell the general thisss," the other replied.

"And take the dead one in the entrance with you," Arti ordered.

The two SharpClaws nodded, and quickly hurried off. They returned moments later, dragging along their dead comrade, and then hurried to their ship. Within minutes, they were out of Venom airspace.

Arti sighed.

"Well, that's that," he muttered. "Hey, Laz? Where are you?"

Lazlo came out from behind a rock.

"Here," he said. "I guess they're gone now?"

"Yes, they're gone," Arti replied. "Now all we need to do is see if they damaged or stole anything." He paused to try comming Wolf again, but to no avail. "Well, I guess the story will keep until you return, Captain," he muttered. "Come on, Laz."

_(Meanwhile... Back on Lom)_

The overhaul of the _|_33+ Hacker_ had only recently been completed (ahead of schedule, thanks to the extra denari Wolf had paid), when Wolf and company had made their way to the spaceport to sleep aboard the ship. They were all too tired (or, in Kay-Tee's case, too bummed) to look around and check it out much, so they just went to their respective living quarters, and got some sleep.

The next morning Wolf got up with the sun, checked out the ship, and went to the ship registration office, to sign off on the work that was done, and officially register the name.

"There you go, Captain," the clerk said, handing him a datachip that held all the information on the transaction. "I hope it was satisfactory work?"

"Yeah, seems like it," Wolf replied. "Thanks."

"I hope you come to Lom again, Captain, to enjoy our lovely, peaceful world," the clerk told him cheerfully.

"I've had about as much of this peacefullness as I can stand, actually," Wolf told the felinoid. "See ya."

He then strode out of the office, and into the sunlight. He took a deep breath of fresh air, and silently regretted that the place had been as rotten as it had.

"Captain O'Donnell?" a voice behind him asked.

Wolf turned to see Bluett standing there, his head bandaged.

"Oh," was all he could say.

"I know I'm not your favorite person, considering, but I was hoping I could say goodbye to Kaz-... Kay-Tee before he left," Bluett said, meekly.

"Yeah, sure... It's that ship right there," Wolf said, pointing. "Go on up, they're probably up by now."

Bluett paused to admire the ship, with it's new enhancements and look.

"It's a nice ship, Captain," he said. "What's she called?"

"The _Great Wolfen_," Wolf replied proudly.

"That's a formidable name," Bluett said, with a small smile. "Well... I'll go on up." He then hurried over to the ship, and disappeared up the boarding ramp.

Wolf took another minute to enjoy the bright morning sunshine, then started to head for the ship as well. Something stopped him, however.

"Captain O'Donnell!"

Wolf sighed, and turned around, recognizing the shrill voice of Lo Mo No.

"What do you want?" he asked, frowning. "I'm not getting you anymore idols."

"No, no, nothing like that at all," Lo said, smiling. "I just wanted to say farewell, and say that you're welcome to return at any time. I hope you see that I hold no ill will toward you at all."

"No? Well, that's great," Wolf said. "But I hold plenty of it toward you. 'Bye, Prez." He then turned and walked quickly to his ship, and up the ramp. He met Kay-Tee and Bluett at the top.

"Well, I'll go," Bluett said. "It was great to see you again, kid. Maybe we'll meet again someday."

Kay-Tee nodded.

"Sure we will," he said.

"Err... What will you do now?" Wolf asked.

"I could stick to my day job, I suppose," Bluett replied, shrugging. "Save up for that freighter business." He paused, then said, "But I kind of feel the need to do something more important... Something good to make up for all the bad stuff. Something meaningful." He sighed.

"Well... Good luck," Wolf said. He wasn't sure why, but he felt sorry for the guy.

"See ya, Bluett," Kay-Tee added.

"Goodbye."

Bluett gave a salute, then walked down the ramp, and disappeared.

Kay-Tee sighed.

"I wish I could've helped him, but I think he needs to help himself," he said.

"You're pretty wise for a ruddy ol' chef, pup," Wolf said, smirking.

"Thanks, boss..."

"Well, let's get the _Great Wolfen_ off this furball of a planet," Wolf declared. "Are the others up?"

"Yeah, and hollering for breakfast," Kay-Tee replied.

"Well, we can eat once we're in the air," Wolf said. "I want off this planet, and I want to get back to Venom as soon as possible. We should've heard back from Arti by now..."

"Crap, I forgot all about him, in all the craziness," Kay-Tee said, eyes widening. "What do you reckon-"

Just then, Wolf's comm crackled to life.

_"Captain O'Donnell? This is Lo Mo No... I didn't get a chance to tell you, but if you were having any issue sending or receiving comms that would be coming from outside this planet, well, that would be my fault. I put up a barrier to prevent you sending for help. I do apologize."_

Wolf bared his teeth at the comm link, though Lo couldn't see him.

"You sonuvamartian!" he snarled. "One of my men might be dead because of you!" He growled, and then closed the link, quickly blocking the president's signal from contacting him again.

"The nerve of that guy," Kay-Tee said, shaking his head. "But hey... Maybe that means Arti's okay."

"Maybe," Wolf said. "Maybe..." He was torn now. Should he try comming Arti? But, what if he was in a tight spot, and his comm link coming to life gave him away? With a sigh, Wolf just flicked his comm to the ship's intercom frequency, and said, "All right, you lazy bunch, get to your stations! We're getting the heck out of Lom!"

"But I'm injured... I need breakfast," Andrew whined as he walked up to Wolf.

Wolf gave him a look that caused the nephew of Andross to practically leap into his seat at the comm station. Kay-Tee (manning the port side guns), Dox (manning the starboard side guns), and Mumbo (manning the shields) did the same. Just then, the sound of metal hitting metal reached their ears. Wolf turned to look, and saw CT64 glide into view.

"My apologies," the amalgam droid said. "I am still learning to control my movement."

"That's all right," Wolf said. "Anyway, we were just about to take off."

"I can take the role of navigator, sir," CT64 said. "That was my original protocol function."

"Okay, that would be a help," Wolf replied, nodding. "There's the navigation console..."

"Thank you, sir." CT64 took a position in front of the console. "Where are we headed, Captain?" he asked, preparing to type in the information.

"We're going-"

Wolf's comm came to life yet again, interrupting his reply, and he quickly answered it.

_"Red One to Star Wolf Captain... Captain, this is Arti... Come in. Let me guess, no signal again?"_

"Arti? Arti! Geez, kid, you had me worried!"

The rest of team gave a small cheer, exchanging high-fives, but Wolf motioned for them to quiet down.

_"Nothing to worry about, everything is under control... Well, it is now, anyway."_

"You have some trouble with Panther and Mafefe?" Wolf asked.

_"I didn't... Lazlo did, though."_

Everyone got quiet, as Wolf asked, "Is... Is he okay?"

_"Oh, sure,"_ Arti replied._ "He's pretty tough for a walking marshmallow."_

The others cheered again, and this time Wolf didn't bother to quiet them down.

"I'm glad you're both okay, kid," he told Arti. "Really glad. But what happened?"

_"Long story, Captain... I'll tell you when you get here. You'll be on your way here soon, right?"_

"Right away, actually," Wolf replied. "And we have a long story to tell you, too. See you later, Arti. Wolf, out." Wolf turned, and grinned (wolfishly) at his team. "Well, what are we waiting for? CT64, plot a course to Venom..." He paused, sitting back in the comfortable captain's chair, and looking around the Great Wolfen. All in all, things were working out. There was still so much to accomplish, and yet, Wolf felt it was all going to work out all right. They really had a new beginning.

"Let's go home, Star Wolf team."

_**_End of Chapter Twenty_**_


	21. A Reunion and a Meeting

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

_Chapter Twenty-One : _

_A Reunion and a Meeting_

"Captain's log... Yeah, I finally remembered. Well, we're on our way to Venom, in fact, we ought to be seeing it soon. It feels good to be going home. Not that it's been much of a home to me, but considering my past there, and my father's past... Well, anyway, it's not going to be 'home' for long. Not now that Andross knows I'm not under his thumb anymore. Venom's not safe anymore... Star Wolf is going to have to find a new home planet."

Wolf ended the recording, and sighed. So much had changed in the last... How long had it been? Weeks, months? He'd lost track. But everything he had known had become something else. His business... His team... His own feelings toward life.

"And the worst is yet to come," Wolf murmured.

"Not necessarily."

Wolf swiveled his chair around, and raised an eyebrow. It was Josh, the 'messenger'.

"What're you doing here?" he asked.

"Well, technically, I'm not supposed to be," Josh replied, leaning against the door of Wolf's cabin. "I just wanted to check and see if you've given any thought on your next move."

Wolf nodded, leaning back in his desk chair.

"Yeah, I've given it plenty of thought," he replied. "I still don't have a clue what to do, though."

Josh laughed.

"I assumed as much," he said. "That's why, even though I'm not really supposed to, I wanted to sort of... Point you in the right direction."

Wolf shrugged, arms spread, palms facing upward.

"I'm listening, kid," he said simply.

"Well, let's recap," Josh suggested. "You're facing two major problems, right?"

"Scales and Andross."

"Exactly," Josh said. "And, knowing you, you're probably trying to figure out how to take them on, one at a time."

"It had crossed my mind," Wolf told him. "Why?"

"Well, did you ever think that maybe one could help you with the other?" Josh asked him.

"Okay, yeah, I could throw in with Scales, and then work with him to take down Andross, but he wants me to kill Fox and his team... And this new conscience I'm sporting won't let me do that!" Wolf shook his head. "I don't see how that's a possibility, anymore."

"I never said it was, Wolf," Josh said, rolling his eyes. "Look... Imagine this... The armada that Scales has built, attacking Andross, with you leading the charge... And yet Fox is alive and well. Sound nice?"

"Sounds like a fairy tale, kid."

"Just give it some thought," Josh said. "And remember... Sometimes doing the _opposite _of what someone evil tells you to do leads to something good." He smiled, and gave Wolf a wave. "Later." And then he vanished in a flash of light.

Wolf frowned, thinking about what Josh had said.

"Doing the opposite of what someone evil tells me to do," he murmured. "Scales wanted me to eliminate Fox, and get him out of the way for good. I wasn't planning on doing that... Although, _not _doing it might not be the opposite of that scenario. But..." He paused, then nodded. "I think I get it, pup... I think I get it."

*****

"Exit hyperspace now!" CT64 called out.

Wolf, who wanted to fly his dream ship home himself, was seated at the main controls.

"All right, there's Venom," he said, as the murky planet filled the viewscreen. "Home, sweet home."

"I miss my kitchen," Kay-Tee said. "Although, this one isn't bad, for a ship."

"Mumbo want to work on _Nutsen_," Mumbo said. "Mumbo think thruster need overhaul."

"I want to... Err... Test something out," Dox said, mysteriously. In all the excitement, no one had remembered the dream he had told them about. Wolf had arrived before he could test his theory. But he had to know if he really had those powers.

"I just want to kick back and relax," Andrew said. "This mission has been stressful."

Kay-Tee looked over, and smirked.

"You weren't even a part of it for the first half," he said.

"I was too!" Andrew said. "Just... On the other side. Don't forget I got blasted out of the air... By you, I might add!" He stopped, and straightened his collar before saying, "And then I saved Wolf's life."

Wolf snorted, as he started bringing them down through Venom's atmosphere.

"Keep telling yourself that, pup, and maybe someday you'll believe it," he said. It was already becoming a running joke, to downplay Andrew's heroism. They didn't want him getting a big head, after all.

_"Unidentified ship, you are nearing Star Wolf base... State your business, or turn away. Failure to comply will result in me firin' mah lazers!"_

Everyone started laughing.

"Lazlo, you overgrown marshmallow, it's us," Wolf said, smirking. "Now relax, and keep away from the air defense weapons."

_"Oh! S-sorry, boss! I guess I got a little carried away... But, welcome back!"_

"Thanks. We'll be landing momentarily," Wolf said. "_Great Wolfen_, out."

In minutes, the Great Wolfen had touched down beside Star Wolf base's hangar. Wolf had to laugh at the fact that his new flagship was far too big to fit into the hangar.

"Guess we need a bigger hangar, eh, chief?" Dox asked.

"No," Wolf said, shutting down the engines, powering down the systems, and lowering the exit ramp. "We won't." He didn't explain further, though Dox and the others looked confused. "Come on, let's go... There's a lot to discuss."

*****

Arti was waiting inside the main doors, comfortably housed in his indoor mech suit. He had been having a heated inner debate, that had went largely unresolved. In a nutshell, one part of him was thrilled to see his teammates again, and the other side was persistantly warning him against caring too much. He had to consider his past, after all.

No matter the indecision, he couldn't help grinning as his team walked through the main doors.

"Welcome back, everyone," he said.

"Arti!"

"Dude!"

"Art Man!"

"Hiya, Arti."

"Greetings, Master... I mean... Articerile."

"How's it going, kid?" Wolf asked.

"Fine, Captain, fine," Arti said, with a quick nod. "The base is now secure."

"Are you going to tell us what happened now?" Dox asked.

"Well, we'd better go get Lazlo, since he played a part in it as well," Arti said. "Come on."

Minutes later the group was gathered in the computer room. Everyone greeted Lazlo warmly (although, warmly for Wolf was to smirk and nod), and they all sat down to hear the story.

Lazlo told them what happened with Panther and Mafefe, then what happened as the SharpClaws arrived. Arti then took up the tale, occasionally interrupted by an excited outburst from Lazlo, telling of how they defeated all but two of the creatures, and sent those two away.

Wolf was deep in thought, as the others all praised Arti and Lazlo for their great work.

"And we thought we had it bad with the Ancient Minister, and Lo Mo No," Andrew said.

"We _did _have it bad," Dox said, rolling his eyes.

"What happened on Lom?" Arti inquired.

They gave him a brief outline of events, Kay-Tee grimacing as they mentioned Bluey's death. Dox looked over at Wolf and said, "The chief never did tell us what happened in the tomb, though."

Wolf looked up, and blinked.

"Hmm? Oh, it doesn't matter," he said, shrugging. "I just went in, got what that idiot president wanted, and left." He shrugged, then said, "I'd like to hear that message from Kain Frederick, Lazlo."

"Sure thing, boss!"

Moments later they were all listening to the recorded conversation between Lazlo and Kain...

_"Star Wolf base? This is Kain Frederick."_

_"Gro ruhged, Grain Fwedick... *cough* Go ahead, Kain Frederick. This is Lazlo at Star Wolf base!"_

_"I have that info I promised Dox. Apparently Icis Mazza, Gled and Grye Jinnore, SUB36, and Queen Madara, are all very powerful people, from around the universe. They seem to know each other, yet, apparently, each has their own realm that they govern."_

_"Right, so... How is that important to the boss?"_

_"Well, your boss might like to know that those five are teaming up with General Pepper, Star Fox, and the Cornerian forces."_

_"Why?"_

_"To take on Andross, apparently... From what I gathered, Andross has gone off the deep end in a big way... Bigger than usual, actually. Icis Mazza seems to think that he's even dipping into the occult now... Black magic, and the like... Look, I'd better go, I don't want to get caught divulging information to one of McCloud's worst enemies... They might lock me up for treason, or something. I'll message back if anything new happens. Kain Frederick, out."_

Wolf was frowning so hard that Kay-Tee thought his face might fold up. Finally the Star Wolf captain sighed, and stood up. He knew he had to let the others in on what came next.

"Team... I have a lot to tell you," he said slowly. "First of all... We're going to have to leave our base behind, soon. Probably for good."

The others exchanged glances. They'd expected this, but not this soon.

"I'm not totally sure where we'll set up shop next," Wolf went on, "But we can make the _Great Wolfen_ our temporary HQ. It's big enough to hold all the machinery and junk we own... And there's room enough to live on it, for a while." He shrugged. "It'll do."

The others nodded, and Mumbo said, "Go on, Wolf Man. Mumbo think there is much more."

"You're right, shaman, there is," Wolf replied. "Well, as you know, we're on Andross' hit list now." Andrew tried hard not to cringe, but didn't quite manage it. "So, this place isn't going to be safe for long. Aside from that, I'm sure you're all wondering about this business with General Scales and his lizard-men. That's a sort of a mess that I got us into... But I think I can get us out of."

"Is it about what that SharpClaw said? You having a mission to accomplish for Scales?" Arti asked.

"Yeah," Wolf replied. "I got greedy... I hadn't quite had the, err, change of heart I recently had about things, and... Well, he was throwing a lot of denari at me."

"To do what?" Kay-Tee asked.

"Kill Fox, disarm his team, and then lead Scales' armada against Andross."

Everyone glanced at each other with widened eyes.

"Hold on," Arti said. "Let me get this straight. You were to kill Fox and take down his team, and then lead a bunch of lizards in battle against Andross?"

"That's what I said," Wolf said, shrugging. "Although, the lizards are the ground troops... I was to lead the space armada."

"Then who would be flying the ships? They'd need big cockpits, if it were the SharpClaws," Dox remarked.

"Pirates, mercs, smugglers... Whoever Scales could throw denari at, and get them to risk their lives," Wolf told him. "We were to be the point team. I'd be the overall armada commander, second only to Scales, when giving orders."

Andrew let out a low whistle.

"Scales really thinks he can take Andross down?" he asked. Everyone noticed that it was the first time he'd said the name without almost saying 'Uncle' before it.

"Honestly, he has a good shot," Wolf said. "Or, at least, he could get close. It just depends... You have to have the right allies, the right firepower, and the right plans."

"Why do I get the feeling you're still interested?" Arti asked him.

Wolf reached up and plucked at his eyepatch absent-mindedly.

"I am, in a way," he said, slowly. "You all know that my original intent was to overthrow Andross... And take down Fox. That's why I wanted to start fresh with this group."

"Wolf Man change sides now," Mumbo said. "Wolf Man become good guy."

"Yeah, I've been wondering when you were going to let us in on that," Dox spoke up. "It's been kind of obvious that you have a different agenda these days."

"Is Star Wolf out of the criminal enterprise, boss?" Kay-Tee asked.

Wolf frowned, looking at each of his team members.

"Maybe we should take a vote on it," he said. "If you think we should go straight, say yay... If not, say nay."

"Yay," Kay-Tee said, without hesitation.

"Mumbo think yay," Mumbo said.

"I hope we still get exciting missions," Dox commented. "Oh... Yay."

"It's as it was destined to be," Arti said, mysteriously. "Yay."

"I'm for it, yeah, err, I mean, yay," Andrew replied.

Wolf glanced at Lazlo and CT64.  
"Well? The whole team has a say in this," he told them.

"I would do as everyone else did," CT64 said. "But if you're actually inquiring of my opinion, it would seem to me that less innocent sentients would be harmed if we veered away from criminal acts." He paused, his photoreceptors blinking twice. "In other words, yay."

"I never knew we were criminals in the first place!" Lazlo exclaimed. "But, yay."

"Majority vote, the yays have it," Wolf declared. "That's settled then. Now-"

"Oh no you don't, chief," Dox interrupted. "You need to cast your vote. We'll revoke all of ours if you don't." The other echoed this, though with far less ambition than Dox was showing.

Wolf smirked.

"You wanna know what the great Wolf O'Donnell has to say, eh?" he asked. "You wanna know if I think we need to walk the straight and narrow?" Dox nodded, so Wolf said, "Fine. The truth is, I'm different than I was a few months ago. I'm not the same guy anymore. Part of the reason for that is that I basically died and came back... And the other part is... You guys."

"Us?" Lazlo asked, surprised.

"Yeah, you, all of you," Wolf said, glancing away. "It'd been a long, long time since I had teammates like you... _Friends_ like you." He cleared his throat, and added, "But that doesn't mean I'm that attached to ya, so if you don't pull your weight around here, you're history!" Wolf said this last part whole looking each of them in the eye, trying hard to look the stern merc part.

"We get you, boss," Kay-Tee said, grinning. "We won't let you down!"

The others cheered, and Wolf smirked again.

"Well, you'd better not," he said. "So... With the _unanimous _decision to clean up our act made, our new mission is in front of us... Defeating Andross. And I have a plan to do it."

"What's the plan?" Arti asked.

"Well, it's still just beginning to form," Wolf replied, "But it basically has to do with using Scales' army to defeat Andross' army, and give us an opening, a slim chance, at taking down Andross."

"But Scales wants McCloud dead," Dox countered. "And... Well, you're not doing that, right?"

Wolf shook his head.

"The time for revenge has passed, finally," he said. "No, I won't be killing Fox."

"Then how will you get Scales to let you lead his armada?" Kay-Tee wanted to know.

"I'm not planning on having his permission," Wolf told them. "Besides, we don't need to replace one tyrant with another. No... Scales needs to fall, but in a way that puts me in a position to benefit from it the most."

The others exchanged glances. They had no clue what he was getting at.

"I still need to work out some things," Wolf said, dismissively. "And I don't have long... My deadline is nearly up, and I'm sure Scales isn't real happy about his lizards getting fried." He paused, as the others snickered, then said, "And... There's someone I need to talk to."

"Who?"

"An old... _Friend_."

*****

It was the same as before. Walking into that cantina on Shelkonwa, hearing a number of the patrons call out his name, ordering the same drink, heck, even sitting at the same table. Wolf had to chuckle at how much the same it all was, and yet, how different.

Two main differences were present, actually... One, the reason he was there had nothing to do with getting rich, and everything to do with saving the galaxy from a madman... Actually, from mad_men_. Two, he wasn't meeting his contact... He was meeting someone else.

"Hey, Wolf," the person said quietly, sliding into the chair opposite him. He was wearing a hooded cloak, to disguise his features, just as Wolf had requested.

Wolf nodded at him.

"Saying it's good to see you would be a stretch, so why don't we just skip the pleasantries?" He paused, as the person gave a quick nod of agreement, then said, "I need your help with something..."

The other person, who we'll call Cloak for now, laughed.

"That's the funniest thing I've heard in a while," he said. "I thought that maybe, just maybe, you might be wanting to help me. I should've known better."

"If you help me with this, it will be greatly beneficial to us both," Wolf countered.

Cloak was quiet for a minute, then shrugged.  
"I'm listening," he said. "What do you need help with?"

"It's got to do with Scales."

"Scales? But he's-"

"Back, and packing more of a punch these days," Wolf said. "He's amassed a huge army, apparently, made up of SharpClaws, as well as an armada made up of mercs and space pirates. And he plans on taking down Andross."

Cloak laughed again.

"He doesn't have the resources or the brains for a war against Andross," he declared.

"That's where you come in," Wolf declared.

"If you think I'm helping Scales, you're crazy," Cloak said, shaking his head. "Then again, maybe you are. But, even if I would, he'd never accept help from me."

"That's where I need the help," Wolf told him. "I have a plan."

"Your plans usually don't work, Wolf," Cloak said, sounding amused.

"I wonder why?" Wolf shot back, glaring. "Just listen, will ya?" He lowered his voice, Cloak leaning in so he could hear, and laid out his plan, which he'd been working on since his last talk with Josh. When he was done, he sat back, and waited for Cloak's response.

"I dunno, Wolf," Cloak said, after thinking it over. "It sounds risky, full of holes, and unlikely to work in a million years."

"You in?"

"...Yeah."

Wolf smirked.

"Just like old times," he said.

"Hopefully not."

*****

Aboard the _Great Wolfen_, a highly important project was nearing completion. The entire team (minus Wolf who was on Shelkonwa, Lazlo who was eating ice cream in the ship's kitchen, and Dox who had claimed to need 'time to himself') was grouped together, working as one unit.

"This is tricky... We don't want to fry the circuitry," Arti was saying.

"Yeah, I know," Andrew replied. He secured another wire, then sighed. "It's too bad we didn't have enough time to buy one of these."

"No kidding," said Kay-Tee, handing Arti a tool he needed. "This is one of the most complex things I've ever worked on."

"Mumbo agree with Kaz Too Man," Mumbo threw in, scratching his skull. "Seem easier to make invisible than make look different. This more difficult than Pair of Socks Man's stealth shield."

"Much more," Arti agreed, tightening a coupling. "And it's possibly even more important that this one works... Dox might have been discovered by Emm, or the Gruntling, but the person wearing this will be standing before a horde of SharpClaws. Not exactly comforting if it shorts out and reveals them." _Especially if I'm the one wearing it,_ he added to himself.

The biggest positive was that they were only in need of the one... Wolf's plan had called for two, and apparently his 'friend' had one, and not of the homemade variety.

"I believe it is concurrent to the schematic we downloaded," CT64 commented. "In fact, we may be improving on certain areas."

"Well, I think Andrew and I programmed the imagery pretty well," Kay-Tee said proudly.

"It's spot on," Andrew said with a grin.

Arti got up from kneeling, and stretched tiredly. More and more he was spending time outside of his mech suit, unconsciously growing slightly more comfortable in his own skin.

"Well, that's the best we can do," he announced. "It's done... We just have to hope it works."

"I'll try it on," Andrew offered, but Arti shook his head, and said, "No, I'll do it... Chief engineer on the project, and all that." And so he slipped into what looked like an ordinary, pilot's space suit. Well, ordinary if you ignored the wires and glowing circuit cells that spiderwebbed across the material.

"Here's goes nothing," he muttered, entering the initiation command on his wrist computer. Suddenly he heard the others gasp, and saw Andrew take a few steps back.

"Geez, Arti... I helped make the imagery, but it still gives me the jeggies," the apish pilot muttered.

"Art Man scary sight," Mumbo agreed.

The others eched this, and then began congratulating one another on a job well done. Arti walked over to a nearby vidscreen, which was showing data of various forms, and said, "Vidscreen... Reflection mode." Even he was taken aback. Instead of his own familiar features staring back at him, a rather horrible sight was there instead.

Arti stared for several seconds, then entered the command to end the projection. He looked into the screen again, and saw himself looking back. He turned to look at his comrades, and smiled.

"Now all we have to do is hope that it doesn't give out part way through the 'performance'," he said. "But, good job, everyone. This was a real team effort."

The others gave a cheer, then helped him out of the Chameleon X, or C-X, as they had dubbed it. When it was safely stored away, they had a round of Sunkist Floats to celebrate.

"Here's to subterfuge," Arti said.

"To subterfuge!"

*****

"This is ridiculous... How does one discover if he has secret powers? If they're hidden, how am I supposed to find them?" Dox sighed. He'd been pacing his quarters on the _Great Wolfen_, straining his brain, trying to remember everything that had happened in his 'dream'.

It was all so hazy, now... After everything that had happened, his mind was filled with many other thoughts. He had to try and wade through them, and discover rather he had the 'powers' or not. If he did, they would be a major asset in the coming disturbances.

"Wait... I had something in my hand," Dox said, suddenly remembering. "It was... Something the reaper gave me. I think it helped to control the powers. But... What was it? And do I still have it?"

*****

"Wolf to _Great Wolfen_..."

_"We read you, boss, go ahead."_

"I'm on my way back, Kay-Tee," Wolf said. "Everything is a go."

_"Copy that... Awesome news."_

"I'll be there in a few minutes... Wolf, out." Wolf closed the comm link, and started to climb into the original _Wolfen_. Something stopped him, though... The eerie feeling that someone was watching him too closely for his liking. He spun around, his eyes scanning the area, but nothing out of the ordinary revealed itself.

He saw a number of people milling about, entering or leaving cantinas, shops, and the spaceport in general. No one seemed that curious about Wolf, in fact, very few even glanced his way.

"Funny," he murmured, then shrugged, and climbed into his ship. Moments later, he was blasting off, out of the atmoshphere.

As his ship disappeared from sight, a small figure moved out from behind a ship's tail section. He gazed skyward, then turned to look at his companion.

"He felt us watching him," he said. "He's very aware of his surroundings, isn't he?"

"Oh, quite," the other being said. "A little too aware for my liking, I must say."

"Afraid?"

"Of course not! Don't be foolish, boy... And don't forget who the senior member of this partnership is!"

The smaller one laughed in a way that infuriated the other one.

"Don't you forget that you are on your last chance," he said, smirking. "I, on the other hand, am relatively safe."

"That, my little annoyance, is not written in stone."

"Is that a threat? My father-"

"Is merely another lackey in the crowd, don't delude yourself," the larger one snapped. "The fact that his last mission was somewhat successful by no means makes him special. And, in turn, makes you just another pawn in this game."

"Then we are both pawns," the smaller one countered, "For you seem to have no control over your future, either."

"We'll see about that, boy... We'll just see."

_**_End of Chapter Twenty-One_**_


	22. My Enemies, My Allies

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

_Chapter Twenty-Two : _

_My Enemies, My Allies_

"They'll be here soon," Wolf announced.

His teammates all rolled their eyes and exchanged glances... That was the fifth time he'd said that.

"I bet they'll be surprised to see the _Great Wolfen_," Wolf added.

Another glance was exchanged... It was the third time for that statement.

"I'll bet-" Wolf started, but was interrupted by Kay-Tee and Dox, who simultaneously said, "-they'll wish their ship looked half as good." Fourth time for that.

Wolf glared, and then sat down in the captain's chair on the bridge.

"Okay, I get the point," he grumbled. "It's just... You don't often get a chance to one-up an adversary. I know I haven't..."

"Sir, there is a ship approaching our position," CT64 announced. Their position was a barren section of space just outside the SeeGeeSee galaxy, where there was little chance of anyone stumbling across them. Unless, that is, they had invited someone to do so.

"Don't see them yet... Wait! There they come!" Lazlo exclaimed. He had the job of official 'spotter'... Which, though he didn't know it, was an unecessary position, considering the sophisticated equipment. The others had felt sorry for him, and fabricated a job for him to do.

"Good eyes, marshmallow," Kay-Tee said, smirking.

"Incoming audio," Arti said. "Patching it through..."

_"You there, O'Donnell?"_

"Yeah, I'm here," Wolf replied, into his comm link.

_"So... That's your flagship?"_

"That's right."

_"Huh... Well, is that bucket of bolts capable of sidealong docking?"_

Wolf snarled into the comm link.

"Watch your mouth, punk! This ship's top of the line!" he yelled.

The other person chuckled.

_"You're as short tempered as ever, Wolf,"_ they said. _"Now, can you extend sidealong docking clamps or not?"_

Wolf growled, but motioned for his team to do so. Mumbo lowered the shields, and Dox entered the command to extend the clamps. The newly arrived ship, which was roughly the same size as their own, pulled alongside, and shortly the two ships were connected.

Wolf and his entire team headed to the docking bay to meet the arrivals (Lazlo hitching a ride on CT64's base, as he was prone to doing of late). The bay doors were open, revealing the doors of the other ship. A moment later, those doors opened, and four beings stepped through, causing Wolf to sneer involuntarily.

"We meet again," said the person at the front of the group. "At least this is an improvement over that dive in Shelkonwa."

"I happen to like that dive," Wolf muttered. "But anyway... I'd better introduce you to my team. Andrew you know, of course..." Andrew grimaced, the only expression he could muster, and Wolf went on. "The others are Arti, Kay-Tee, Dox, CT64, and Lazlo. Star Wolf team... This is-"

"Allow me."

Wolf made a face, then nodded. The other being smirked and said, "This is Falco Lombardi, Slippy Toad, Krystal Saphira... I'm Fox McCloud... And we're team Star Fox."

Falco looked around, seemingly disgusted, and barely nodded in their direction. Slippy waved, bouncing on his toes. Krystal avoided their gazes as best she could. Fox was the only one who looked each of them in the eye.

Wolf's teammates gave curt nods, and said nothing. Except for Lazlo, that is, who said, "You're shorter than your stories make you sound, Fox."

Kay-Tee and Dox snickered, and Wolf rolled his eyes. Fox looked a little perturbed, and quickly changed the subject.

"We need to get to the planning, Wolf, and make sure everything is ready," he said.

Wolf nodded, saying, "Yeah, sure. The C-X is full functional... I pretty much know what I have to do before we make use of it, but I need to be sure you can do your job."

"I wouldn't get bossy, O'Donnell," Falco said, darkly. "You're not running the show."

Wolf opened his mouth to say something that probably couldn't be typed, but Fox quickly said, "We're all working together on this... We'll be risking our lives for a chance at saving the galaxy. It's crucial that we know what we're doing, and it's also crucial that we work together."

"Basically what I was going to say," Wolf said, shrugging.

"Oh, I'm sure," Krystal said, with a small smirk.

"This is some ship, Wolf," Slippy remarked as the group headed deeper inside the _Great Wolfen_. "Must've put you back a lot of denari."

"Yes, I wonder how you did pay for this?" Krystal murmured. "How many died for you to manage it?"

Wolf bit back a snarling reply. He wouldn't rise to her bait. She was always acting like such a goody-two-shoes, but he had the idea that she wasn't quite the saint she acted like.

"Not now, Krystal," Fox said quietly to her. "We're all on the same side."

"For the moment," Falco said, his hand dropping down to his blaster as if to make a statement.

"Look," Wolf spoke up, "We can worry about killing each other later... Right now we've got a big problem on our hands."

Fox glanced at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Wolf, you actually sound like the old you, there," he said. "From back in-"

"Nevermind that," Wolf cut him off quickly. "And I'm not the old me... I'm a _new_ Wolf O'Donnell."

"The old one _was _getting pretty boring," Falco said, smirking.

Wolf sighed... This was going to be hard.

*****

"Toad Man a mechanic too?"

"Yeah, Mumbo, I love working on ships!" Slippy replied. "I was actually going to retire from active mission duty, and settle down... Become a full time mechanic, get married... But then this all started, and I couldn't let my teammates down."

Mumbo nodded.

"Mumbo think of hanging up shaman stick and laying on beach for rest of days," he said. "But Mumbo not so sure about that anymore." Lom had left him with an intense dislike for places that looked like paradise, but really weren't.

A few feet away, Arti was showing Falco the C-X.

"It's fully operational," he said. "We've tested it."

"Hopefully," Falco said, eyeing the suit. "It's not going to be as reliable as a Lylatian chameleon suit."

"Best we could do on short notice," Arti replied. "Besides, it would've been harder to modify the imaging the way we needed to... This is a complicated visual."

Andrew smiled proudly. Falco said nothing, and turned to look at the indoor mech that was parked in a nearby corner of the work room. He walked over to it, and said, "Now this is quality stuff."

Arti smirked at Dox, who was standing nearby.

"Well, we made that, too," he told Falco.

Falco was surprised, visibly, and looked at Arti with a slight amount of respect.

"Maybe this mission won't be completely hopeless, then," he said.

Down the hall, Kay-Tee, Lazlo, and CT64 were showing Krystal the kitchen. After a few minutes speaking with them, she had been surprised that they were a part of Star Wolf... Kay-Tee was funny and outgoing, Lazlo was, by all appearances, only there for sentimental reasons, and CT64 was extremely intelligent.

_"What's happening to Wolf?"_ she wondered. _"This isn't his usual speed. Dumb, brooding, bestial... That's his usual lineup. This... This reminds me of Star Fox."_

"So, as you can see," Kay-Tee was saying, "I've got the equipment to cook just about anything."

"I've downloaded millions of recipes," CT64 added, "Adding to the extensive number that Kay-Tee already has memorized."

"I introduced them to a special ice cream," Lazlo said proudly. "It's-"

"Enough with the ice cream," Kay-Tee interrupted... No one else on the team even liked Lazlo's ice cream. "Now, this door leads to the main hall, and from there we can reach the bridge..."

*****

"Well, I have to say, your plan still sounds just as crazy as it did in that cantina," Fox said. "But, assuming we're lucky... Very lucky... It might just work."

"It's going to work," Wolf said, dismissively. "I'm just concerned about the first part of the plan."

"Not up to it?" Fox asked, prepared to laugh.

"Actually... I'm not sure I am."

Fox didn't laugh. He blinked.

"That's... Not like you," he said, slowly. "Even in your best moods you'd drop an enemy without batting an eye."

Wolf snorted.

"If that were still true, you'd be dead right now, McCloud," he said. "I _used_ to be that way."

"So what changed?"

"Me... My life... My team..." Wolf paused, then added, "And, I died."

"You what?" Fox asked.

"Died," Wolf repeated. "For a moment, anyway... And it definitely gave me a lot to think about."

Fox didn't say anything, which gave Wolf the opening to get back to the business at hand.

"We might as well call the others in here," he said, grabbing his comm link. "Assuming they haven't killed each other." Into his comm he said, "All right, everyone, head to the strategy room."

Moments later the group was filing in, and taking seats around the large square table (except for CT64 and Lazlo... CT64 stayed off to the side, and Lazlo was using his base for a chair). To Wolf's surprise the group was actually in good spirits, some sharing a laugh, some in deep conversation.

"Err... I take it you guys weren't killing each other?" he asked.

"No way! These guys are a blast," Slippy said, grinning.

"Kay-Tee is quite the chef," Krystal said, which caused the young Anthro-Avian to beam.

"You have some surprisingly smart guys on your team," Falco admitted.

Wolf was amazed, but there was no time to wonder about the odd fellowship between the two teams, so he began the briefing by saying, "While each of you have probably heard the short version of the plan, I want to lay out the details from start to finish."

"It can't sound any crazier, so go ahead," Falco said with a smirk.

Wolf narrowed his eyes, but began to explain the details of the mission.

*****

"Um... My lord? Are you here?"

Dr. Kab Lamooie walked slowly into the amphitheater-sized room where he was supposed to meet his employer. It was very dark, and the small man was wishing he'd brought a light with him. Suddenly, however, the lights came on. Kab blinked, his eyes adjusting, and then he gasped.

"Greetings, Kab..."

"M-my lord... I... I am here as you instructed," Kab said, trying to control his stammering mouth.

"I am not blind."

"N-no, of course not..." Kab swallowed hard. He hadn't seen his employer for sometime, and his latest appearance was quite frightening, even to a murderous villain like Kab. "Lord Andross, what do you wish of me? I have delivered the information pertaining to the Ancient Minister's plan to your engineers."

"Indeed, and should the operation go smoothly, you will be rewarded for your assistance," Andross said. "However, there is something else I need for you to do..."

"I am here to serve you."

"There is a meeting taking place between Star Fox and Star Wolf in a certain stretch of space in the SeeGeeSee galaxy... I wish for you to get as close as possible, and then follow them. They are planning something that may be a slight hindrance to my plans."

"I can't imagine either team being a threat, and can hardly imagine them working together, my lord," Kab said, perplexed.

"Ignoring any possible threat, no matter the size, would be a sign of incompetence," Andross replied. "As for them working together, it would not be the first time. Now, leave at once... The technicians are uploading the coordinates into your ship's computer as we speak."

"Yes, my lord," Kab said, giving a quick bow, and then hurrying away.

"Oh, I forgot to remind him of something," Andross said, after Kab was out of earshot. "If he fails me, his son will die." He then laughed evilly, the sound reverberating through the giant room.

*****

"I don't see what good this thing is going to do him..."

"It is not for you to understand the brilliant plans of Lord Andross!"

"I take it you don't understand either, then." The first one smirked as he said that.

"I have an inkling, but it really does not matter," the other one said, obviously lying.

"Whatever."

"What is important, you sniveling little brat, is that we deliver the Golden Idol to Lord Andross as quickly as possible."

"I can't believe you paid that moronic little cat-man that much denari... Not to mention signing those weapons contracts. You could've haggled."

"Do not insult the felinoid race, boy!" the second one snapped. "And, I was authorized to pay whatever price necessary... That I have done, and the Idol is now on it's way to Lord Andross."

"Maybe he can use it to bash Wolf O'Donnell in the head, because that's all I can see it being useful for."

"I'm sure it is vastly more important than that."

"Or perhaps Andross has lost his mind."

"Do not speak of him in that way!" the other one thundered. "He has a cunning plan to destroy his enemies and take over this galaxy!"

"So cunning that no one knows what it is," the first one countered.

The second one had no reply to that... Because it was quite true.

*****

"Now... Having answered all questions, and addressed all flaws, is there anything else that needs to be said?" Fox asked.

Falco opened his mouth to say something, but an elbow jab from Krystal stopped him. She could see from the look on his face what he was going to say.

Hearing no one speak up, and feeling quite glad of it, Wolf said, "That's it, then. Let's check our equipment, and then get ready to head out."

The group got up from the table, and made their way out of the strategy room. Fox glanced back at Wolf and said, "You know, if this works, it'll be the best we've worked together since cade-"

"If it works, the trouble's just beginning," Wolf interrupted.

Fox nodded, and walked out of the room. Wolf glanced back at the vidscreen on the wall, which was showing their plan in each stage. He shook his head and muttered, "We're out of our ever-loving minds."

_**_End of Chapter Twenty-Two **_


	23. Usurpation

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

_Chapter Twenty-Three : Usurpation_

"General Ssscalesss?"

"What is it?"

"Ssstar Wolf hasss arrived, sssir."

"Ah." Scales rose from his chair, and straightened his uniform.

"Do you intend to punisssh him, sssir?" the SharpClaw guard asked.

"For what?"

"Hisss men killing our brothersss!"

"Those morons? They deserved to die," Scales said. "Now, bring Star Wolf to me... They will be bringing me news that I've been waiting some time for. And afterwards, out at the assembly, I will announce their cooperation in my master plan."

The SharpClaw guard knew better than to argue with Scales, but he didn't look very happy as he rushed off to do as he was told.

*****

Just outside of the Saurian gravity pull, a small ship floated. On either side, the name _Lamooie _was clearly written. This was the spaceship of Dr. Kab.

The small man sat in the cockpit, his eyes trained on the two ships he'd been following. One was the _Great Wolfen_, out of which several fighter ships had exited and then descended to land on Sauria. The other was the _Great Fox_, which was also parked outside the planet, waiting.

Kab didn't know what the two teams were planning, but they were obviously working together. He needed to find out what they were doing, and how it concerned Lord Andross.

Andross didn't know exactly what his enemies were doing, and Kab knew that infuriated the evil would-be conqueror. But, then again, Kab had done something himself that Andross didn't know about.

"Insurance," he muttered to himself. "Insurance for me... And my kid. The Dark Lord needn't know about it..."

*****

"All right, play it cool..." Wolf murmured, as they waited for the guard to come.

"Cool's my middle name, boss," Kay-Tee said, with a nod.

"Kazzart Cool Twessel? That's one screwed up name you've got there, dude," Dox commented, dryly.

Arti snickered, and glanced at Andrew, expecting to see him laughing too. He wasn't.

"What's up, Andrew?" he asked quietly.

"N-nothing," Andrew lied.

"Drew Man nervous," Mumbo remarked. "Mumbo nervous too... Mumbo not like lizards."

"There's no need to be nervous," Wolf told them, though he wasn't looking so calm himself. "Just follow the plan to the letter, and we _may _survive."

Kay-Tee rolled his eyes.

"Way to take the pressure off, boss," he said.

"It's going to work fine," Dox said, trying to sound confident. "Besides, the chief has the hardest job."

Wolf gave him a withering look, but before he could comment, a SharpClaw appeared.

"You mussst come with me now, Ssstar Wolf," it said, glaring. "General Ssscalesss isss waiting."

"Lead the way," Wolf said. Things were going to happen in a hurry, he knew... One mistake might cost them everything. They were working with a lot of assumptions, as well... But there was no time to worry about that now.

The first assumption proved right... Scales had his private quarters positioned as far away from the entrance as possible. For him, that meant privacy. For Star Wolf, that meant less chance of being overheard.

Outside the large double-doors that led into Scales' quarters stood one guard, to the left... The one who escorted them would take the position on the right side, after announcing them. So far, this was exactly how Wolf had imagined things. He exchanged a glance with Arti, who gave a quick nod.

Arti was out of his mech suit again, but he wasn't wearing his normal uniform. It appeared as if he was, but in actuality, he was wearing the C-X. It had only two image options... Star Wolf Uniform, and the other, more frightening option.

Kay-Tee, Mumbo, Andrew, and Dox tensed. They knew what they had to do... And they knew how important it was for them to do it quickly and quietly. But, not before the signal.

"You can go in, Ssstar Wolf captain," their escort said.

"I need to bring my lieutenant, Articerile, with me," Wolf told the guard. The SharpClaw looked as if he was about to say something against that, and Wolf quickly added, "He has vital information about the deaths of the Star Fox pilots."

That definitely changed the attitude of the guard. He looked as if he might even be smiling as he said, "Go right on in, sssirsss," he said, motioning them into the room.

Wolf nodded, then glanced back at the others.

"You guys stay here," he said. "We won't be long..."

Kay-Tee, Dox, and Mumbo casually agreed, and leaned against a wall. Andrew looked pale and shaky, but thankfully the SharpClaws didn't notice.

*****

Wolf and Arti stepped into the private quarters of General Scales, and the doors closed behind them. Glancing around, Wolf could see the difference in what was luxurious to a felinoid leader, and what was luxurious to a reptilioid leader. There wasn't one piece of furniture that looked comfortable. It was all ugly, and hard, and probably cost millions.

"Well, O'Donnell, at last," Scales said, emerging from the back of the room. "I've been looking forward to your arrival for some time."

"I'm here," Wolf said, nodding. "Ready to take advantage of that offer you gave me."

"I heard you tell the guard that your lieutenant has information about McCloud's death?" Scales inquired.

"Actually, he doesn't," Wolf replied, smirking. "He's just here to plant the scrambler and then give the signal to the others."

Scales had a perplexed look on his face.

"Scrambler? Signal?" he repeated. "What sort of joke is this? I'm not in the mood, O'Donnell."

"Arti? Now."

Arti dropped a canister onto the floor, which split open to reveal a glowing red orb.

"This will keep you from activating any of the comm links you have on you, or in the room," he explained, as he walked back toward the door.

"O'Donnell..."

"This is a double-cross, Scales," Wolf said, pulling his blaster. "I didn't kill Fox, and I'm not going to. But I do want your money and power. Now, it can be easy or hard... Your choice." He knew good and well what he was going to hear.

Scales roared. Wolf ducked just in time to avoid the clawed hand that Scales swung at him, and rolled to one side. Jumping to his feet he calmly said "Now, Arti...", before Scales leaped at him again.

Arti reached out and knocked on the double doors twice, once, and then three times.

*****

The guards outside stared at the doors in surprise... No one had ever knocked from inside before. The next thing they knew, they were under attack.

The first guard went down quickly, but the second guard, the one who had escorted them back there, wasn't to be taken so easily. He backhanded Kay-Tee away, knocked Mumbo's staff from his hand, and body-slammed Dox into the wall. The SharpClaw then turned and reached for his comm link, only to find a blaster rifle aimed at the side of his head.

He hissed something that I won't type, but that was the last thing he'd do for a while. Andrew pulled the trigger, and the guard crashed to the floor in a heap. Andrew let out a breath he had been holding, and lowered the rifle. His teammates slowly got to their feet, and then began slapping him on the back, and laughing.

"Man, I thought the whole plan was going to flop right then and there!" Kay-Tee said, shaking his head. "Great work, Andrew!"

Andrew managed a small smile.

"Thanks, guys," he said. "I don't know where that came from... I've never managed anything like that outside of a ship before." He glanced at the double-doors, and added, "Hopefully Wolf can handle Scales that easily."

*****

_*CRASH*_

"ARGH!"

Arti winced as Wolf brought the expensively ugly coffee table down over Scales' head. The table broke into several pieces, and finally the general lay still.

"Is he dead?" Arti asked.

"Err..." Wolf gave Scales a kick, rolling him over. After looking at him for a moment, he shook his head. "No."

"Do you want me to finish him off?" Arti offered, walking over.

Wolf looked at him for a moment, then looked down at the general. Finally he shook his head.

"I've got a better idea," he said, and then pulled a small sphere from his utility belt. He squeezed it to activate it, then dropped it on General Scales. Immediately a glowing blue cocoon formed over the tyrant, then solidified, forming a shell.

"I didn't know we had any of those," Arti said, raising an eyebrow.

"We didn't, but McCloud did," Wolf told him, rubbing a bruised knee. "It'll keep him in suspended animation for at least a couple of weeks, and by then we can have him locked away." He paused, then added, "I decided it might be better to not kill Scales just yet... We might need him later."

"Sure," Arti said, skeptically. "But, you know, it's probably better we didn't... It wouldn't help the new image of Star Wolf much."

Wolf glanced at him, knowing that Arti understood Wolf's real reason for not killing Scales. Nothing needed to be said. Wolf then leaned over to pick up his mangled blaster pistol... Scales had managed to wrench it from his grasp at one point, and it was pretty much beyond repair.

"Shame," Wolf said with a sigh, tossing the pistol aside... He had a second tucked into his belt anyway. "Anyway, I'll shove Scales into a closet... You go let the others in." He reached into his utility belt, and then tossed Arti two more of the cocoon spheres. "They might need those."

*****

"Should we go in?" Dox asked for the tenth time.

"No, the boss said to wait," Kay-Tee countered. "What if we went in and distracted him at a crucial moment?"

"Yes, but-"

Dox stopped short as the door opened, and Arti grinned at them.

"Do come in, gentlemen," he said. "But first..." He activated the cocoon spheres over the two guards, who were still alive (the one had just been pummeled, and Andrew had used a stun beam on the other). After the shells had formed, Arti went on, "Let's get these two inside."

The group quickly did so, dragging in the 'eggs', and then sticking them in the closet that Wolf pointed them to. There was an 'egg' already inside, that was larger than the two they had brought in.

"Scales?" Andrew inquired.

"Yeah," Wolf replied. "Easy as shooting Martians in a nightclub..."

"Okay... Wait... What?"

"I dunno, it just came to me," Wolf said, shrugging. "Anyway, looks like you guys did okay."

"If it hadn't been for Andrew we would've been in trouble," Dox told him. "The one who escorted us back here was quicker than we had expected, and got by all of us... Except Andrew, who dropped him cold."

Wolf smirked.

"Imagine that," he said, and for a moment Andrew thought he might compliment him, but then Wolf said, "With so many failed missions to your credit, a successful one is a rare thing." He then snorted, to show he was somewhat kidding.

"So, now what?" Kay-Tee asked, though he knew the plan backwards and forwards.

"Now we get down to the assembly, and see if we can usurp control of Scales' little empire," Wolf said, casually. "But first I need to let our partner know it's almost time for his appearance."

He reached down and switched off the scrambler, then pulled out his comm link, saying, "Hey, McCloud?"

_"Yeah, Wolf?"_

"Scales and his two of his guards have been incompacitated," Wolf told him. "You need to get yourself into position, and be ready for the big show."

_"10-4... Err... Did those cocoon spheres come in handy?"_

Wolf grimaced, but said, "Yeah, they did."

_"Good to know. See you in a little while... Fox, out."_

Wolf stowed his comm link, and then turned to Arti.

"You need to walk out of here with the other image in place," he informed him. "Might as well go ahead and switch it on."

Arti nodded, and a moment later his appearance morphed into something hideous and frightening... Well, it would be to someone who hadn't just trashed General Scales handily. To Wolf, it was no big deal to see Arti become Scales... Yet, he was impressed at how real it appeared to be.

"All right, let's go," he said, then walked to the door. "Arti, you need to walk right beside me, and remember what I said about not getting too close to walls and doorways... Keep in mind how big you're supposed to be, and remember to turn on that voice changer. The rest of you lot follow behind, and look casual."

Everyone was quiet, but did as they were told. They knew this was a crucial moment... They were walking out of the lion's den relatively unscathed, but the pride was waiting to tear them apart if they slipped up.

*****

"Sssilence! Our leader, General Ssscalesss, approachesss!"

The crowd of SharpClaw soldiers, along with a large number of pirates, smugglers, and mercenaries of various species, quieted down. The SharpClaw who had spoken stepped aside, and onto the platform walked General Scales, and team Star Wolf.

"The day we have been waiting for has arrived!" Scales thundered. "Our strike against Andross begins now!"

The grouped cheered again, though the non-SharpClaw attendees were markedly less excited. Scales raised a hand to silence them once more, and went on.

"I am here to announce that Wolf O'Donnell will be commander of the space armada!" he said. "He has proven his loyalty to me and my cause, and I trust him completely. He and his team will take point throughout the entire battle against Andross."

The cheers were less enthusiastic, mostly because the rogues didn't care for Wolf, either personally or by reputation (because he usually beat them to jobs), and the SharpClaws really didn't care about anyone but their leader taking point in any movement of war.

"I also wish to make a proclamation!" Scales shouted.

Wolf tightened his jaw... If they didn't buy this, then he and his comrades were in _big_ trouble.

"As the leader of this army, I am at constant risk of being eliminated by our enemies," Scales said. "If something should happen to me, I do not want my attack against Andross to fail... That is why I am making Wolf O'Donnell second in command. If anything happens to me, he will be in complete control."

There was shimmer of displeasure running through the crowd now... But Wolf hoped the next bit would seal the deal.

"Wolf has taken the Saurian blood oath," Scales informed the crowd. "He is now one of us!"

The result was clear... Even Wolf was surprised. The SharpClaws not only bought it, but cheered louder than ever. Taking the blood oath was an act of complete allegiance to their cause.

Most of the rogues also cheered, because if Wolf was that high up now, they wanted to be on his good side. They intended to be paid well for taking on the tasks Scales had given them.

"And now, to conclude," Scales went on, "A few words about the vile tyrant we are soon to be rid of... Andross. The arrogant dictator has allowed-"

"Look there!" Kay-Tee shouted, right when he had been told to.

"What's this? You dare interrupt... Wait, there is something there," Scales said, pointing. The crowd watched in silence as a single-pilot spacecraft looped overhead, and then swooped in low. It came to a stop, hovering above the crowd, facing Scales.

The canopy opened, and a figure stood up on the outer frame of the ship, easily calling the attention of everyone there. He was anthro-lizard, not totally unlike reptilioid SharpClaws, but smaller, more slender, and greener. Most of the rogues recognized him at once.

It was most definitely Leon Powalski, former Star Wolf member, and now pilot for Andross. Some of the rogues had heard rumors of him being shot down off Yavin III, but those rumors were apparently false.

"I am the great Leon!" the hovering figured called out. "And I come bringing a message from Lord Andross to General Scales!"

Scales stepped right up to the edge of the podium. Below him was a rocky crevice, which Scales like standing above. It made him seem more imposing, taking the chance of falling into it's dark depths as he gave his speeches. The crowd would always shift as far back from the crevice as possible.

"What is the message, scum?" Scales roared.

"This!" With blindingly fast reflexes, Leon pulled a blaster rifle up, and took quick aim. A second later the bolt hit Scales squarely in the chest. A look of surprise crossed the tyrant's face, as he fell forward, and disappeared into the crevice below.

Leon dropped down into his cockpit, the canopy snapping shut. Wolf and his team fired off several shots in the direction of Leon's ship, but he was too fast for them (or so it appeared). The ship spun, flipped, then shot off into the sky.

An eerie silence hung in the air. Wolf waited what he felt was an appropriate amount of time, then stepped forward. He leaned toward the amplifier disk, and said, "You heard the words that our General spoke mere moments ago... It was his wish that we continue on in his name, and destroy Andross. Now we have another reason for doing so... To avenge General Scales!"

The roar was deafening... SharpClaws are, historically, not emotional beings. Prone to rage, yes... Prone to tears, no. And, though they had pledged complete allegiance to their leader, Scales, none of them particularly liked him. He was a cruel, merciless ruler. What was there to miss?

The rogues, on the other hand, were less enthusiastic again... They weren't sure they could trust Wolf as much as they had Scales, and that was saying something.

Wolf didn't intend to worry about any of that at the moment... It was time to send the SharpClaws and rogues away, and wrap up the mission.

"Now go! Prepare your weapons! Steel your resolves! We go to war soon!" he shouted.

The large gathering cheered again, and then quickly dispersed, the memory of their fallen leader already slipping from their minds. Within five minutes the area was empty, save for Wolf and his team.

"Holy crap, chief," Dox said, shaking his head, "That was unbelievable!"

"Seriously," Andrew added.

"Mumbo relieved," Mumbo said.

Wolf allowed himself a grin, and then walked over to the edge of the platform.

"Hey, you down there?" he called.

If anyone aside from team Star Wolf had been watching, they would've been shocked to see General Scales hover upward, and then land on the platform beside Wolf. They would've been more shocked to see him suddenly change his appearance, and become a human.

"Man, Arti, you were awesome!" Kay-Tee said.

Arti slipped the jetpac from his back, and wiped his forehead with a sigh.

"Between the C-X and that jetpac, I was sweltering down there," he commented.

Wolf gave him a slap on the shoulder, then pulled out his comm link.

"Coast is clear, come on in," he said into it.

A moment later, the same ship as before approached. It landed behind the platform, and Leon jumped out of it and walked over to the group.

"Well, I'd say it worked," he said, chuckling, his voice no longer the same as before. He tapped a button on his wrist computer, and he morphed into a slightly shorter figure.

"You were a good Leon, Fox," Wolf told him with a smirk. "They bought it hook, line, and sinker."

Fox nodded, and turned to Arti.

"You were a convincing Scales, Arti," he said. "Believe me, I've faced the guy in the past, I should know."

"Well, the C-X came through," Arti said, shrugging. "I didn't have much to do, except say my lines."

"Art Man modest," Mumbo countered. "Much harder than that."

"Well, we all did what we were supposed to," Wolf commented, "And so far we've gotten away with it. So long as we don't let anyone overhear us saying something about this plan, and as long as we keep Scales and his two guards hidden away, we should be fine." He paused, then said, "So long as I can fool the rogues as well as we've fooled the SharpClaws."

"They _will _be a problem," Fox agreed. "Especially when we begin phase two."

"Phase two... Now that's going to be interesting," Wolf said, smirking. "Especially since I'll probably have it easier than you, Fox."

Fox grimaced.

"Don't remind me," he replied. "I don't look forward to telling General Pepper that we're teaming up with SharpClaws, pirates, smugglers, mercs, bounty hunters... And you."

The others laughed, and the group turned to head back toward the compound. Fox got in the ship he'd been using, and took off once more. Wolf and his team were planning on heading for the _Great Wolfen_ shortly, but Wolf had a feeling that he would have to have a few conversations before he could leave.

"Hey, O'Donnell!"

Wolf sighed. Here was one of them now.

"Yeah?" he said, turning. He raised an eyebrow as he recognized the human smuggler and his messy blonde hair. "Sonuvamartian... Ray Newell? It's been a long-"

"Cut the bantha droppings, O'Donnell," the brash young man named Ray said. "Why don't you tell me what the &%$# you're pulling here?"

Wolf glanced at Arti, and knew they were both wondering the same thing... Did Ray suspect what they had done?

_**_End of Chapter Twenty-Three_**_


	24. Selling It

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

_Chapter Twenty-Four : Selling It_

"Err... Look, Ray... I know I can't expect you to just suddenly trust me, but this deal is on the level," Wolf said slowly. "You heard Scales..." He did his best to look suitably distressed. "It's a huge setback, him being assasinated, but I gave my word I'd lead this group against Andross, and I will." Wolf really hoped Ray didn't know anything concrete... He hated to have to cocoon sphere the kid.

Ray Newell looked angry.

"Hang Andross, hang Scales, hang it all," he spat. "I just want to be paid, and if you're here just to loot Scales' vaults and then run, I'm not going to stand for it! Maybe he trusted you, but I don't!"

Wolf worked hard to not sigh with relief... Ray didn't have a clue.

"Kid, listen," he said. "I have a new outlook on life... I really intend to take down Andross. I've actually got plenty of denari, at the moment... It's not about that. It's about taking that tyrant down once and for all."

Ray still looked skeptical, but his anger seemed to be fading somewhat.

"Well, I'm one of the unofficial delegates for the rogues group, and we want to be sure we'll be paid," he said, stubbornly. "I'm going to get a couple of the others, and the SharpClaw delegates, and we'll talk this over... In the strategy room."

"Agreed," Wolf replied. "I'm ready to put your fears to rest, Ray."

Ray turned to leave, then glanced back and said, "Even if you don't double-cross me on this, I still owe you for cheating me the last time... I haven't forgotten what that cost me, Wolf."

Wolf winced.

_"The past is still haunting me,"_ he thought, but didn't say. Aloud he said, "Everything's going to work out this time, no worries."

Ray made a face, and then stalked away. Wolf sighed, and then turned to his teammates.

"Well, we dodged a bullet there," he said. "If you guys want to head on up to the _Great Wolfen_, I can handle this meeting on my own."

"Suppose something goes wrong?" Dox asked. "You might need backup."

"Mumbo stay with Wolf Man for meeting," Mumbo offered.

"Yeah, me too," Dox added.

Wolf hesitated, then shook his head.

"No, get on back to the ship," he said. "I can take care of myself. Besides, I'm sure Lazlo and CT64 will want to hear the latest." He smirked, and then turned to head inside the base.

*****

"Mr. McCloud? The general will see you now."

Fox nodded, and stepped through the doorway into a comfortable looking office. He'd been here many times before, but never to convince his boss that a large number of criminals were now their allies.

"Ah, Fox," General Pepper said, smiling. "Sit down, tell me what's on your mind... Has it anything to do with Andross and the coming war?"

Fox sat down, and said, "Yes, sir, it does."

"I was planning on comming you anyway, my boy," Pepper told him. "It seems that two more planets have pledged support to our cause... Titania and Corellia."

"Oh, that is good news, sir," Fox replied. "They have a lot of resources to offer." He paused, then said, "Speaking of allies... That's what I wanted to tell you about."

"Have you discovered another planet who supports us?"

"Actually, it's a bit more than just a planet," Fox said carefully. "It's a full army... Ground troops, space armada, the works. They're from all over the galaxies."

"Splendid!" Pepper said, smiling. "Who is leading this army? Is he someone I would know by name?"

Fox tried his best to smile, but it came off as more of a grimace.

"Err... Yes, sir," he said. "The leader is... Well, it's Wolf O'Donnell, sir."

The smile on Pepper's face vanished.

"O'Donnell?" he repeated, as if he hoped he'd misheard. "O'Donnell is leading an army?!?"

"Yes, sir," Fox replied. "He sort of... Inherited the army... From someone else."

"Inherited...? From who?"

"General Scales."

Pepper's eyes widened.

"You must be joking!" he exclaimed. "That... That monster?!? You mean to say Wolf O'Donnell is leading a group of SharpClaws?"

"Yes," Fox said slowly. "And... Well, an armada made up of... Err... Pirates, smugglers, and mercenaries." He couldn't have imagined how bad that sounded, saying it to General Pepper's face.

The old war leader was shocked.

"And you expect me to... To approve of the Alliance to fight alongside not only Star Wolf, but the scourge of the universe? Vile SharpClaws, and criminals?" He shook his head. "I'm glad that I decided to step down as active leader of the Alliance due to health problems... This won't be my choice."

Fox raised his eyebrows.

"You're... Quitting, sir?" he asked, surprised. "But... Who-"

"Hi, Fox," said a voice behind him. "I guess the general gave you the news, huh?"

Fox turned to see an old and dear friend, wearing the uniform of a Cornerian supreme commander.

"Peppy?" he said. "You?"

"That's right!" Peppy Hare said, beaming. "I can hardly believe it myself!" He paused, then said, "Your dad should be the one wearing this uniform, Fox... If he hadn't saved my life-"

"That doesn't matter now," Fox said, shaking his head. "What's done is done..."

"Perhaps you two should discuss these new allies you were telling me about?" Pepper said, giving Fox a glance that spoke volumes. "I'll head to my quarters and get some rest."

The old general left the room, and Peppy dropped into the seat that he had vacated.

"So, what about these allies?" he asked, cheerfully.

Fox shook his head.

"Oh boy..." he muttered.

*****

When Arti, Andrew, Dox, Mumbo, and Kay-Tee landed inside the docking bay of the _Great Wolfen_, they found Lazlo and CT64 waiting for them... As well as Slippy and Krystal.

"Fox thought it might be best if their were fighters aboard both ships, just in case," Krystal told them. "So, we decided to come over here... Falco assured us he could protect the _Great Fox_ on his own." She rolled her eyes.

"I wanted to examine the machinery a bit more anyway," Slippy added. "This ship has some clever enhancements."

Arti nodded.

"Yeah, Wolf thought of basically everything," he said. "Well, did McCloud comm you with the news yet?"

"Only to say everything was fine, before he left for Corneria," Krystal replied. "He didn't give us the details."

"Come on, Arti, tell us what happened!" Lazlo said impatiently, hopping up and down.

The Star Wolf team took turns telling the story, while Krystal, Slippy, CT64, and Lazlo all listened intently. When they finished, Slippy whistled.

"That was some plan!" he said, shaking his head. "But, I'd have been too nervous to pull off something like that."

"Wolf's cleverer than he looks," Krystal admitted.

"I don't know everything about the past between Star Wolf and Star Fox," Arti said, "But Wolf has changed... He's thinking more like a leader, and less like a mercenary."

"Definitely," Kay-Tee agreed. "He reminds me a lot of a guy I used to know... Lt. Patrick."

"Well, let's just hope he can keep this afloat," Krystal said, frowning. "One mistake now, and we're sunk."

*****

"Thisss meeting isss now under way." The old SharpClaw named Thorne, one of the two delegates chosen for the SharpClaws, hit the table with his fist... The Saurian equivalent of banging a javelin, apparently.

Also at the table was a somewhat younger SharpClaw named Narl, and the three rogue delegates... Ray Newell, Gil Dracone, and Carlos Soldado.

Everyone had their eyes trained on Wolf, who sat at the head of the table, in a chair that made him feel much too small... It had been made for Scales, and therefore was rather large for anyone of normal size. The only delegates he knew were Ray and Carlos... The latter of which he'd had a successful business arrangement a couple of years before, and felt certain would follow his lead.

As for Gil Dracone and the two SharpClaws, he'd just have to sell them on his plan. Ray was a wildcard, though... Wolf wasn't sure what he would do or say.

"Men... Some of you know me by reputation, and some of you may not. But the most important fact is that General Scales chose me to be his successor. He trusted me to lead this army to victory against Andross, and that is what I will do. No matter what it takes, _or who we have to ally ourselves with_."

Thorne and Narl grunted appreciatively.

"We trussst you, O'Donnell, becaussse you took the blood oath of the Sssauriansss," Thorne told him.

"So long as I'm paid, I'll follow you, Wolf," Carlos commented. "I've been looking for some excitement anyway, and a space war sounds like fun."

"I've heard of you, O'Donnell, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to cast my vote in your favor just yet," Gil spoke up. "A number of the rogues are waiting for my word on rather we stay or go. I need assurance of our payment... And, given the circumstances surrounding Scales assasination, I think the price has gone up, don't you?"

Wolf grimaced, but nodded.

"I'll need to look at the financial status report-" he started, but Narl quickly slid a folder over to him. Flipping it open, Wolf found the numbers he needed... The promised payments to the rogues group, and the current available denari. Wolf nearly choked when he saw how much money Scales had stuck away... Unfortunately, most of it would be needed.

"All right... A thirty thousand denari increase for group leaders, and a standard ten thousand denari increase for everyone else," Wolf offered.

Gil looked impressed, exchanging a glance with Carlos, and said, "That sounds-"

"No, not enough," Ray interrupted quickly. "Increase of fifty thousand per leader, and twenty-five for the rest." The smuggler must have been brave, because he didn't even flinch when Gil, Carlos, Thorne, and Narl all glared at him.

Wolf frowned.

"That's too high, Ray," he said, shaking his head. "We need funds for weaponry, ships, and supplies. My offer stands as is."

"Then I'm out of here, and a third of the armada with me," Ray said, standing. A hand grabbed him by the shoulder, however, and shoved him down into his chair. It was Gil Dracone.

"Why don't you just quit while you're ahead, Ray?" Gil asked, a glint in his eyes. "We're being paid well, and you know it. Don't let history get in the way of making this much denari, and ridding the galaxy of Andross."

Ray was red in the face now, both furious and embarrassed... But he nodded.

"Fine," he muttered.

Wolf smirked, and rose to his feet, glad to be out of the huge chair.

"Well, gentlemen, I have to confer with my team off-planet," he said. "You have my comm signal if anything happens." He paused, then added, "We'll meet again in a day or two, to iron out the details of our first move."

Everyone agreed, and soon Wolf was alone. He had to grin at how well things were going...

"Almost too well."

"Yeah... Wait, who-" Wolf spun around, then relaxed. "Oh... You."

"I missed you, too," Josh said with a smirk.

"Yeah, whatever," Wolf said, rolling his eyes. "So what did you mean by that? 'Almost too well'?"

Josh shrugged, sitting down at the table.

"You were thinking it," he said. "And it's kind of obvious... I mean, look how easy it's been."

"Said what?"

"Okay, it wasn't easy, exactly, but it wasn't as hard as it should've been," Josh clarified. "You just replaced an enemy as head of his army, and plan on allying that army with the greatest heroes in the galaxy, to mount an attack on the most evil tyrant for lightyears around." He made a face. "You can't tell me you expected this to go so smoothly."

Wolf shook his head.

"No, I didn't," he admitted. "And there's still plenty of time for it to fall apart. Supposing Pepper doesn't go for it? Or Ray gets his revenge on me by tipping off Andross? Or the cocoon sphere fails, and Scales walks in here right now?" He chuckled. "That would almost be funny, in a way, seeing as how quickly the SharpClaws got over his death."

"It's all possible, of course," Josh agreed. "But I think the biggest thing working against you is lack of information."

"What do you mean?"

"How much do you know about Andross and his plans?"

"Nothing, really," Wolf said, shrugging. "Just that he's up to his usual tricks... Planning to destroy Fox and Pepper, and take over the galaxy, and so on." He paused, then said, "He's also, according to some reports, trying to get into black magic, or something like that."

"So, basically, you've got past experience and the latest rumors," Josh said, smirking. "Not exactly the FBI, are you?"

"The what?"

"Nevermind... My point is, you don't know enough about what you're facing. So, try to find out. Use contacts, send in spies, whatever... Just dig deeper."

Wolf frowned.

"Why do you care anyway, kid?" he asked. "You've been popping up a lot lately, giving me advice... That D guy only came once."

Josh was quiet for a moment, then said, "Actually, I'm not technically supposed to be doing this. After the tip that got you walking down the right path, I was supposed to clear out."

"Why haven't you?"

"I can't explain it," Josh said, looking down. "I mean, I could, but... You'd never believe it. Just... Know that I feel like I owe you some help." He got to his feet, and gave a salute. "Keep what I said in mind... Good luck." And then he vanished.

Wolf cocked an eyebrow.

"What was that all about?" he murmured.

*****

Dox was alone in his quarters again, pacing back and forth, trying to remember his coma dream. It was driving him crazy... He could remember the Reaper giving him something, but not what it was, or what he did with it.

That is, not until he heard someone shout, "Hey! Who took my digipen?" It was Kay-Tee, he recognized. And then, all of a sudden, it hit him.

"Pen... Pin!" Dox instinctively found the pin in the space above his glove, covered with his uniform. He stared at it for a moment, but there was nothing special about it. And then... He squeezed it in the palm of his hand. Dox watched in amazement as a bluish armor formed over his uniform, and crimson colored claws extended from his gauntlets.

"Whoa..." he murmured, and then sat the pin down on his desk. Immediately the armor and claws disappeared. Dox grinned triumphantly. "Now... Since the armor and claws were real... I wonder if the powers are?" Glancing at his chronowatch, though, he decided to postpone that until a later time.

*****

"No! No way!"

"Peppy-"

"Not happening, Fox!"

"But, Peppy-"

"No buts! I'd sooner have my ears removed with a dull knife than take in the scum of the universe as our partners," Peppy said firmly.

Fox sighed.

"We've worked with Wolf before, Pep," he said. "And I actually trust him this time."

"If you had told me Wolf wanted to help, I might have agreed," Peppy told him. "We could use more good pilots. But Wolf leading an army of rogues and lizards? No way. He's up to no good, and he's amassed an army to help."

"He wants to take down Andross just as much as we do," Fox stated. "And you have to admit that we need the help... For every planet that pledges to help us, two more either join Andross or refuse to take any action at all." He paused, then said, "Look... I don't like working with pirates and the like any more than you do. But... I trust Wolf this time. He can help us."

Peppy was rubbing his temples, fighting back the headache that had come about at the mention of Wolf's name. He was quiet for a few minutes, then finally he looked up and sighed.

"I'll sleep on it," he said at last. "That's the best I can do, Fox... Tomorrow I'll give you a no or a maybe."

"A maybe?"

"If I say maybe, then Wolf has to convince me he's not going to doublecross us," Peppy declared.

Fox nodded.

"Okay... But really, think hard on it, Pep," he said. "You know, deep down, that we need all the help we can get."

*****

"Boss, you're back! How'd the meeting go?"

Wolf dropped down from the _Wolfen_, and turned to Kay-Tee.

"Pretty well, I think," he told him. "Ray tried to cause some trouble, but the others quieted him down when they heard what they were being paid. And, of course, the SharpClaws have accepted me completely."

"Awesome," Kay-Tee said, high-fiving Dox.

"Too bad Krystal and Slippy left before you got back," Dox commented.

"They were here?" Wolf asked, surprised.

"Yeah, Fox sent them over, so the ship wouldn't be unguarded while we were planetside," Arti said, as he walked up.

"Huh... Grand central spaceport," Wolf said, making a face. "Guess I'll have to get used to it." Just then his comm link signaled an incoming contact. "Wolf here."

_"It's Fox... I spoke with Pepper."_

"And?"

_"He's retiring due to health reasons."_

"Forgive me if I'm happy to hear that," Wolf said smirking.

_"You might not be when you hear who took his place," _Fox said.

Wolf quit smirking.

"Who?" he asked.

_"Peppy Hare."_

"Ah &%$#," Wolf muttered. "What did he say about the plan?"

_"He's going to sleep on it, and then maybe, just maybe, he'll let you try to convince him that you're not going to stab us in the back."_

"Sonuvamartian."

_"Hey, watch it... He's my friend, after all... And he was my dad's friend, too."_

"I know, I know," Wolf said, exasperated. "Well... All we can do is wait then."

_"Try not to blow a gasket until I comm you back with his decision. Fox, out."_

Wolf glared at his comm link, then stowed it away.

"Well, I guess you all heard that?" he asked.

"Yeah, apparently this... Peppy... Is not keen on the plan?" Arti said in return.

"No, he's not," Wolf said, frowning. "Long-ears is going to hold everything up with his whining."

"Do you guys have a bad history?" Kay-Tee asked.

"You could say that... Seeing how often we've tried to kill one another," Wolf muttered. He paused, then said bitterly, "And, at this rate, we may end up trying again."

_**_End of Chapter Twenty-Four_**_


	25. The Three Spies

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

_Chapter Twenty-Five :_

_The Three Spies_

"I can handle it on my own, chief."

"No... This needs to be covered from as many different angles as possible. I'm sending two others in with you."

Dox made a face, but knew better than to argue with the Star Wolf captain.

"Who else is going?" he asked.

"One, Carlos Soldado, is an old acquaintance of mine," Wolf replied. "He has some military background, and has these kinds of missions down cold. And the other is Bartimaeus Uruk. He owes me one for sending us on that mission for SeaBee Emm." Wolf smirked. "He won't like it, but I guarantee he'll show up. And nobody... _Nobody_... Is better at stealth missions than he is."

"You're sure we can trust them to be in on the more secretive parts of all this?" Dox ventured.

"I don't trust many people, Doxxy," Wolf said, drumming his claws on the desk, "But I trust myself to know people pretty well. Bart owes me, and knows there could be a big payoff in this. Carlos wants the adrenaline rush, and of course, a pocketful of denari. And neither of them have double-crossed me in the past." He shrugged. "That's enough for me."

Dox didn't look happy about it, but he nodded.

"Whatever you say, chief," he murmured, heading for the door.

"Be ready to head out soon," Wolf called to him. "We need this information yesterday."

Dox chuckled, looking back.

"Just because my name's Paradox, doesn't mean I know anything about time travel," he said, grinning.

"Well, I guess you'll just have to fall back on your talent as a spy," Wolf countered with a smirk.

"Oh boy, we're doomed," Kay-Tee remarked, as he walked by the strategy room.

Dox shot him a dirty look, then strode away. To himself he murmured, "I have more than just my spy talents now, though... I've got something even better." His eyes shone red as he thought of his new powers, though he didn't realize it.

*****

Wolf was shaking hands with Carlos as Bartimaeus walked up to the door. Carlos had accepted a small bonus, and had happily agreed to accompany Dox on the mission. As Wolf had expected, he was excited at the prospect.

"This beats hauling spice any day," he said, grinning. "Thanks, Wolf."

"You're doing me the favor, kid," Wolf said. He noticed Bartimaeus at the door, and said, "Carlos, why don't you find Dox and introduce yourself... I have to speak with my associate here."

Carlos nodded, and headed out of the room. Bartimaeus took a chair and sat down, his eyes showing a wariness that betrayed his nerves somewhat.

"I thought you needed a job when you contacted me, but seeing this fancy ship, I'm not so sure," he remarked. "Why _did _you get in touch with me, Wolf?"

Wolf steepled his fingers in front of him, and chose his words carefully.

"You set up a mission that had unsatisfactory circumstances involved," he said slowly. "My crew and I were nearly killed, along with, I have to add, the inhabitants of a major solar system or two." He paused, and his eyes glinted. "I wasn't pleased with the situation _at all_, Bart."

Bartimaeus squirmed in his chair, ready to turn invisible and bolt at a moment's notice.

"Look, I never said it was going to be a cake-walk," he muttered. "And besides, I got no signs that there was anything out of the ordinary happening..."

"Emm was a psychotic would-be conqueror, backed by an equally psychotic robot lord, who attemped to _detonate a star_ so he could reach the fifth dimension."

Bartimaeus blinked.

"Ah," was all he could say.

"But, I'm willing to let that all be forgotten," Wolf said, waving a hand casually. "_If_ you'll do me a small favor."

"Err... Such as?"

"Joining two others working for me in gathering some information I need," Wolf replied.

Bart grimaced. Gathering information... He knew what that meant.

"You want me to spy on someone?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Who?"

"Andross."

Bart suddenly vanished from sight, using his special ability to do so. He barely cleared his chair, however, before Wolf had his pistol tucked under his invisible chin.

"Bart, Bart, Bart... You've pulled that trick one too many times for it to work on me," Wolf said, with a cold smile. "Now, sit back down, and reappear."

Bartimaeus grudgingly did so, sitting and reappearing simultaneously. When Wolf holstered his pistol, Bart glared and said, "If you think I'm going to go spy on Andross, you're out of your mind."

*****

"He's out of his mind."

"True... But he uses that to his advantage," Carlos said.

Bart just shook his head. How could he argue with that? Here he was, inside Carlos' ship, the _Renegade_, bound for Venom, completely against his wishes and better judgment. This wasn't what he wanted to be doing... At all.

"I hope you guys don't slow me down," Dox commented. "Being a spy comes naturally to me, of course, but having to carry you two is going to make this much more difficult."

Bartimaeus raised an eyebrow at Carlos, who just rolled his eyes... Wolf had told them that Dox talked a big game, and though he was good, he pretty much considered himself the _best_. Choosing to ignore the statement Dox had made, Carlos checked his coordinates, and then spoke.

"We're nearing Venom... We're bound for Venomia City, right?" he asked.

"That's right," Dox replied. "Right into the lion's den."

Bart shook his head again.

"This is borderline suicide," he grumbled. "Andross is powerful, and has eyes and ears everywhere... One slip-up, and we're dead."

"Better be on your toes, then," Dox said pompously.

Carlos hid a grin, and focused on making his way through the hazy atmosphere of Venom. Shortly thereafter, he was being contacted by the Venomia City Spaceport.

_"State your ship name and business in Venomia City."_

"This is the _Renegade..._ My crew and I are here to purchase supplies for a freighter voyage," Carlos said into the comm link.

_"Land in docking zone 17, berth 29."_

"Roger that," Carlos replied. He switched off the comm, and said, "Here goes nothing."

*****

They split up soon after exiting the ship, each with a destination predetermined by Wolf. Carlos would be getting into Andross' engineering factories, to see what kind of weapons and ships he had in the works. Dox would be sneaking into a supply warehouse to examine cargo.

Bartimaeus was left with the most straight-forward, and therefore hardest, job... Get as close to Andross as possible, and try to learn something about his plans for the coming war. He was not pleased with the assignment, but he wasn't going to argue... For one thing, he needed that denari Wolf had promised him. And for another thing, he didn't want to tick off Wolf.

Getting past the guards at the entrance of his palace/fortress was fairly easy. Getting past the sensors deeper inside would be much more difficult. The first twenty minutes he learned nothing, because he was ducking, dodging, and waiting. It wasn't until he broke into the center of the palace that he learned the first interesting tidbit of information.

Being invisible, Bart was able to move close enough to two of Andross' scientists as they discussed a problem that had apparently formed.

"He's not going to like this," a stocky Anthro-Avian was saying. "And I'd bet my tail feathers we'll be blamed for this, as well."

"Don't worry, I have an escape plan, should things get bad," the thin human with him replied. "But you're right, Lord Andross will not be pleased. I can't imagine what happened... That stupid statue shouldn't have shorted out our equipment like that. It's like it was charged with energy or something."

"I heard the techs saying that Lord Andross thinks the idol has powers," the Anthro-Avian said, lowering his voice so much that Bart had to inch closer to hear him. "Dark powers... He thinks it will make him invincible."

"He's mad," the human said, quieter still. "I've never seen him this way."

"We're not actually seeing him at all," his friend reminded him.

"True... But I mean, the way he speaks to us over our comms... He sounds... Well, posessed. Like there's something else in control, besides his usual mad-but-brilliant mind."

"I wish this war wasn't even taking place," the Anthro-Avian said, shaking his head. "I have friends and family on some of the planets that are now marked as enemies..."

"Who doesn't?" the human said with a shrug. "Let's just do our jobs, get our pay, and keep our heads down... If things start to pop, I know a guy who can get us off this stinking planet quick."

"Good... Because I have a bad feeling things will start getting worse around here." He paused, then turned his beak to look right _through_ Bart. "I also feel like we're being watched..."

"You're just paranoid."

As the two walked away, Bartimaeus smirked, and headed down another corridor, searching for Andross' inner sanctum.

*****

"You're new on the job?"

"Yeah."

"Thought so, didn't remember seeing you here before."

Carlos tried not to grin. Stealing a uniform had been a good idea.

"Can you catch me up on the numbers? How many of these ships, for one thing, are we cranking out a day?" he asked.

The engineer paused, checking his datacard.

"About five of the fighter ships a day," he said. "And one cruiser every two days. Why?"

"Just curious," Carlos replied. "So, how long has this rush for ships been going on?"

"About three months. Excuse me, I have to check on something."

Carlos mulled that over as he quickly fled the factory... Roughly 450 fighter ships, and 45 cruiser ships had been made, in the last three months. That was quite a fleet, and didn't even include how many Andross might have already had before that. And what about all the other planets that had sided with Andross?

The numbers would be staggering... And could mean only one thing... This wasn't going to be easy.

*****

Dox was in a dark corner of one of the storage warehouses, completely hemmed in by workers. They didn't know he was there, but he couldn't escape... And if he waited for them to quit working, then he'd be locked in along with the supplies. He needed a plan... Fast. He stiffened as he heard voices nearby.

"Did you hear what they were saying about that new crate that arrived?"

"Which one?"

"The one that the new Commander brought... That one, on the far wall. It's going to Lord Andross' quarters soon."

"Oh."

"They said it's got some kind of magic power source inside it... Dark magic at that."

"Really?"

"I've heard that Lord Andross has powers now... And some of the staff are calling him 'The Dark Lord'."

"Creepy..."

"Yeah... Come on, we better get that last skiff-load."

Dox stood stock still in the shadows, his mouth slightly hanging open. Andross was not only dabbling in dark magic, as Kain Frederick had told them, but he had a source of power... And the crate holding it was standing only feet away from the spy.

Suddenly, Dox spied something at the base of the wall to his left... A vent cover. He bent to examine it, and a smile broke out on his face. He had a way out after all... Now he could wait until the workers left and it didn't matter if they locked the door behind them. He needed the place to himself so he could take a look at the crate.

"All right, let's get that special crate to Lord Andross' quarters!" a voice rang out.

"Help me with the skiff..." another replied.

Dox stiffened.

_"No!"_ he thought. _"I need to look at that! Ah, crap!"_ But there was nothing he could do. The workers loaded the crate on a skiff, and quickly pushed it out of the warehouse.

"Go ahead and lock up," one of the workers said. "We're done for today."

Dox watched glumly as the doors were shut, and the locks activated. Shaking his head, he turned to the vent cover... At least he could get out.

*****

Bart was standing stock still, praying his heartbeat wasn't as loud as it seemed, hardly daring to draw a breath. He was invisible, of course, but he wasn't taking much comfort from it. Mere feet away from him stood Andross... Or what Andross had become, recently.

"Is this it?" Andross asked a worker, who had brought a crate on a skiff up to Andross' door.

"Y-yes, Lord Andross, it is."

"Put it over there."

The worker did his job as fast as he could, then practically ran out of the room. Bartimaeus didn't blame him, and had Andross not been inadvertantly blocking his way out, he would have fled as well.

Now, with the door shut, Andross headed for the crate. It took him only a moment to open it, and then unwrap the item inside it. Bart could see it was a golden statue of a man, with purple gems for eyes. Recollection vaguely stirred in the back of his mind... He'd heard of it before. The Golden Idol of... Someone. Wallaby? Washing Machine?

"Wannamakacasha..."

Bart smiled with relief... That would've ran him nuts trying to remember it. It then dawned on him that Andross had answered a question that he had only been _thinking_. He warily looked at the evil 'lord' before him, wondering if he could read minds. He finally decided that Andross had murmured the name while admiring the piece.

"With your power... My transformation will be complete..." Andross said quietly. "And then... I can drop the illusions... And take this galaxy as my own..."

Bartimaeus fought the urge to shudder... He hated to think how much more terrifying he would look after the 'transformation' had been completed. Suddenly, Andross turned and strode away, clutching the idol tightly. He disappeared deeper into his living quarters, and Bart realized that was his cue to leave.

He quickly headed for the door, inched it open, then squeezed out. He stepped gingerly between the two guards who had their backs to the door, and started down the hallway. He grinned... He was going to make it out fine.

Then, something fell on him from above... And the guards came running.

*****

"Where the heck am I?" Dox muttered, as he crawled through the vent shaft. "This thing has more twists and turns than a Venusian dancer." He smirked as he said it, uncomfortable as he was... He was picking up Wolf's penchant for using corny lines.

Finally he could take it no longer... He was exhausted from crawling on hands and knees through the cramped space. He laid out flat, trying to catch his breath. Then he blinked. He realized he was sprawled out on a vent grill that was facing downward. A creak caught his attention, and Dox looked to the right to see a bolt that was bending outward.

"Oh, crap."

With crack the bolt broke, and the grill snapped open, deposting Dox directly on top of someone. The person grunted in pain, and Dox quickly rolled to the side. He looked around him, eyes widening... There was no one there!

"But... I fell on someone!" he exclaimed.

Before his eyes a form flickered into view. Bartimaeus.

"Ohhhh... My head," he muttered.

Dox heard clattering footsteps, and saw two guards running right toward them! He grabbed Bart by the arm, hauling him to his feet, but his comrade was bigger than him, and couldn't keep his feet under him. Bart buckled to the floor, and Dox turned to face the oncoming guards.

One had outdistanced the other, and was only steps away. Dox pulled out the pin from it's hiding place, and squeezed it tightly. The change was instantaneous, and caused the lead guard to hesitate, eyes widening. Dox lunged forward, and swiped harshly with his crimson claws, easily dispatching the guard.

The other guard skidded to a stop, and fumbled for the blaster that was holstered at his hip. He was too far away to reach before he got a shot off, Dox knew, so he tried something else. Holding the pin tightly with one hand, he raised his free hand, palm facing forward, toward the guard.

Bart blinked his eyes, trying to clear his vision. He saw the guard raising his gun, and he saw Dox holding his hand out as if to stop the man. Then, a bright light shot out of Dox's palm, and impacted the guard. It lasted only a second, and then it was over. Dox stowed the pin away, and returned to his usual self... And both guards had disappeared. Completely.

"Let's go," Dox said, reaching to help Bart up. This time he was successful, and the two started down the hallway as fast as they could go.

"What happened back there?" Bart wanted to know.

"Later," Dox said dismissively, fighting the dizziness he now felt. He felt drained and weakened... But adrenaline kept him moving. He was powered by fear of being captured... Excitement to share the news he'd learned... And exhiliration at having used his powers successfully.

Bartimaeus kept shooting him glances... He was a little foggy, but he knew something weird had happened just then. Dox had changed... He'd made that man simply disappear.

Dox met his eyes, and could see the questions floating behind them.

"I'll explain after we get back on the ship," he said. "I just hope Carlos has it fired up and ready to go..."

As they rounded a corner, a dark figure loomed out of the shadows, causing them to skid to a halt.

"I think I'd be more of a help showing you a quicker way out of here," the person said, grinning. It was Carlos.

"&%$# it, don't scare me like that!" Dox exclaimed.

"Come on, let's not waste time," Bart said, starting forward again. "The sooner we're out of here the better..."

The others agreed, and they entered the passage that Carlos had stepped out of... Just as an alarm rang out.

_**_End of Chapter Twenty-Five_**_


	26. Prelude to War

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

_Chapter Twenty-Six :_

_Prelude to War_

The explosion was bright and vivid in the darkness, though it was very far away... The sound didn't carry, but the young eyes that were watching could imagine exactly what it sounded like.

"Mom... He... He's going to come home... Right?"

"I'm so sorry, Gerik... So very sorry..."

"You mean..."

"Your father isn't... Isn't coming back."

Gerik's gaze, that had been glued to the dark skies, suddenly shifted, connecting with the eyes of his mother. He could see the pain there... The anguish... The defeat. She was broken, he could tell. Broken in a way no one could ever repair.

"Why?" was all he could ask.

"It's... It's all part of the Creator's plans..." his mother answered, with a shaky voice.

"The Creator planned this?"

"Everything that happens is part of... A bigger plan, a purpose," she said, trying to sound stronger than she was. "Your father... His time came now, and..." She then dissolved into tears, slumping down to the ground, no longer able to pretend she was in control.

Gerik watched her for several minutes, sobbing into the gravel, slipping further and further away from him, knowing she would never be the same again. And then he turned his eyes back to the sky... Not to look for his father's ship, but to look further... Higher... To try and meet the eyes of the Creator himself.

"I hate you... And I will never trust you again."

*****

"You can come on in, Wolf," Fox called.

Wolf turned away from the window in the lobby, and made his way to the office that now belonged to Peppy Hare. Fox was already inside, pacing anxiously. Peppy was seated behind his desk, rubbing his temples.

"McCloud... Hare..." Wolf said, nodding. "What's the decision?"

"Take a seat, O'Donnell," Peppy said, frowning as he looked up. "You too, Fox... You're making me nervous, my boy."

"Sorry, Pep..." Fox said, dropping into a chair by the window, as Wolf sat down in front of the desk.

"I've given this a lot of thought," Peppy started slowly. "And I'm telling you, it's the hardest decision I've ever made." He paused, then went on. "If you had come here with your team, and offered to help us out by flying alongside Star Fox, I wouldn't have hesitated to accept."

"I'm offering that and a whole lot more, Hare," Wolf said, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I can turn the tide in this little war of yours..."

"But in whose favor?" Peppy fired back. "Seems to me you'd be in a position of power. With all those forces at your disposal, you already have control of most of Sauria... Take down Andross and you have Venom... What's next? Corneria?"

Wolf glared at the old anthro-rabbit.

"Listen up, Gramps, and listen good," he said, his voice taking a sharp edge. "I'm offering you the chance to work together. I'm taking down Andross one way or another... If you want my men to help you while we're at it, fine. But if not, then we'll just do what we have to do, and then leave you to sort out all those other planets you've made enemies out of."

He got to his feet, and walked to the door.

"One thing, though," Wolf added, turning back. "I don't want Venom, or Sauria... And I certainly don't want Corneria. I'm not a tyrant, a dictator, or a king. When this is over, I'm out of here... I promised myself that someday I'd see the far side of the universe, and that's what I intend to do."

He started to walk out the door, but Fox quickly jumped up and said, "Hang on, Wolf... We haven't finished here." Wolf looked back to see his nemesis looking troubled. Peppy sighed, and motioned him back to the chair he had vacated. Grudgingly, Wolf returned to his seat, and returned to glaring at Peppy.

"Say I believed you, O'Donnell," Peppy said. "How am I to convince my men, and the Cornerian Royal Family, that pirates, smugglers, even SharpClaws, are our allies, and that they are to shoot down noble soldiers from planets who chose the wrong side, but they are to work with the scourge of the universe?"

Wolf shrugged.

"Not my problem, Gramps," he said, curtly. "I'm just offering the manpower, the weapons, the ships... An offer that could turn this war on it's ear within the first few days, instead of letting it go on for months... Years, even."

Fox shot Peppy a look that spoke volumes... He obviously agreed with Wolf, and was really wanting Peppy to look past the lack of respect, and realize how much they needed Wolf's help.

Peppy sighed again, and took off his glasses so he could rub his eyes. He was tired. In the short time since he had taken the post of Supreme Commander of the Cornerian army he'd had to deal with about a million problems. He never knew how much Pepper had dealt with until dealing with it himself.

"I'll give you an ultimatum, Wolf," he said at last, his voice betraying how tired he really was. "You give me assurance that you won't doublecross us, and I'll sell this to the Royal Family."

Wolf raised an eyebrow.

"Assurance?" he repeated. "Okay... I _promise _to not go back on our deal."

"Nice, but I need more," Peppy countered. "Sign this." He slid a piece of paper over to Wolf, who leaned over to read it. The Star Wolf captain's good eye widened, and a snarl formed at the back of his throat... But he took a breath, and nodded. Grabbing a pen, he signed it, and shoved it back at Peppy. "Done."

Peppy looked surprised, and Fox looked relieved.

"I... Well... Okay, then..." Peppy managed to get out. "I will... Uh... Go see about smoothing this over." He got to his feet, and quickly left the office, holding the paper tightly.

Wolf got up as well, turning to leave, but Fox stopped him.

"What did the paper say? Pep didn't clue me in," he said.

"Oh, not much," Wolf replied. "Just that Star Wolf is to work in tandem with Star Fox, at the head of the space armada..."

"I assumed that much," Fox said, nodding. "But there must've been more..."

"Yeah, one more little detail," Wolf said, heading out the door. "If they even _think _I've betrayed Corneria, I'm to be terminated immediately."

Fox stood there, now alone in the room, eyebrows raised.

"And you _signed it?_" he asked in surprise. But there was no answer... Wolf was gone.

*****

"Sonuvamartian! Sonuvamartian! Sonuvamartian!"

"Shut up, will you, you're driving me nuts!"

"Sorry," Dox said, taking a breath. "I'm just ticked off at myself for getting us into this mess."

Bartimaeus didn't argue with him... If Dox hadn't fallen on him, they most likely wouldn't have been caught. Bart shot a glance over at Carlos, to see that the smuggler was calmly checking the powerpack on his blaster.

"You could at least act nervous, you know," Bart told him.

Carlos looked his way and grinned.

"I'm not nervous at all, mate," he said. "And you shouldn't be either. We're going to have us a nice little fight, and then be on our way."

Bart couldn't believe it. This guy was actually _happy _to be in this predicament. They were in a storage room, still some distance from the nearest exit. The door was barricaded, and outside they could hear the footsteps of several soldiers running back and forth. So far, none of them had stopped.

But that wasn't going to last forever... Eventually someone would check the door, and find it wouldn't open. Then they would get suspicious, and it would get messy for the three spies inside the room.

"I knew this was a bad idea," Bartimaeus grumbled. "We should never have come."

"We found out some important information," Dox reminded him. "Things that the chief needs to know."

"Yeah, well... What good will it do him? 'Gee Wolf, Andross is a horrific looking creature, and he's got a statue that's going to make him powerful enough to take control of the universe... Oh and he's got a million ships to help him!'... Yeah, that'll just make his day."

Carlos chuckled.

"Doesn't sound so good when you say it like that," he remarked. "But hey, Wolf's going to figure it out. He's always got a plan."

"We're the ones who need a plan," Bart grumbled, bitterly

"I've got one," Carlos said, still quite calm. "As soon as the footsteps quiet down a little, we'll throw open the door, blast whoever's nearby, and make a break for that exit I was trying to get us to before."

"Easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy," Dox said, with a laugh.

"Oh yes, I can't imagine why I ever felt worried at all," Bart said, rolling his eyes. "You two are about the-"

"Shhh!" Carlos hushed him. "Listen..." They all strained their ears, trying to hear something... Anything. But they didn't.

"I don't hear a blasted thing," Bart murmured.

"Exactly... That's our cue."

Carlos and Dox made their way to the door, while Bart tried to become invisible. To his dismay, he couldn't... But after having Dox fall on his head, he wasn't surprised. He had to be in good condition to pull it off. He sighed, and pulled his gun.

"When I say 'Go!', we go for it, okay?" Carlos whispered. He had moved the crate that was blocking the door, and had his hand on the door handle.

"Roger that," Dox said.

Bartimaeus rolled his eyes again.

"Oh, ten-four, yes indeedy," he muttered. "And just so you know, I'd much rather have died with someone other than the two of you. It is _not _an honor to fall in battle alongside you guys."

"Back at ya," Dox said, smirking.

"Ready..." Carlos said quietly. "Go!"

*****

_"How'd it go, boss?"_

"Oh, splendidly, Kay-Tee, splendidly," Wolf said, sarcastically. "I tell you, if we live through this, I'm strangling that stupid, long-eared sonuvamartian."

_"He said no?"_

"Nah, I think we're good to go... It just took a lot of... Assurance."

_"Oh. Well, still... This is good! We're ready to take Andross on head-to-head now!" _Kay-Tee sounded thrilled at the thought.

"Maybe... But it's still going to be hard, kid..." Wolf paused, then said, "Anyway, I'll be back soon. I have to wait and get the official word after _General _Hare talks to the Royal Family."

_"Okay, boss... See ya."_

"Wolf, out."

Wolf was standing on a balcony that overlooked Corneria City, providing a nice view of the bustling metropolis. The fact that only a few years before the city had been in ruins couldn't be computed when seeing it now.

"Ever miss this place?" asked a voice behind him. Wolf turned, and saw Fox standing there.

"No," he said darkly, looking back toward the city.

"Ah, come on... This is your home, Wolf," Fox pressed.

Wolf spun around, glaring at his nemesis.

"It... is... not... my... home!" he said, biting off each word. "The only real home I've ever had is Venom, and even that isn't my home anymore. I have no home now, other than the _Great Wolfen_."

Fox frowned.

"You're telling me that those years in school here mean nothing?" he asked. "What about graduating the top-ranked pilot in class? What about 'borrowing' those Arwings, that time, and racing through the asteroids? What about saving those downed pilots that time with only seconds to spare? What about Laina?"

Quicker than the eye could see Wolf drew his pistol, and pressed the muzzle against Fox's chest, thumbing the setting to the highest level. His eye had a deadly gleam in it's depths.

"Never say her name again, you sonuvamartian, or I swear I will kill you."

Fox didn't flinch, didn't even blink.

"You can run around the universe, breaking laws, saving lives, playing the big anti-hero... But you can't change who you _really_ are, Wolf," he said quietly. He then turned and walked away.

Wolf slowly holstered his blaster, and then looked toward the sky.

"I can try," he murmured. "I can try."

*****

They were everywhere... Guards just kept spilling in, coming from every direction. Shots rang out, blasterbolts sizzling through the air, cries of anguish being heard now and then.

And then... They were in the _Renegade_, and taking off. They dodged an army cruiser, and hyperjumped before even clearing the atmosphere completely. They were safe... On their way back to the _Great Wolfen_. But there was no celebrating to be heard aboard the ship.

Dox was seated at the controls, and slumped back in his seat, relieved. He allowed himself a moment to calm down after the harrowing escape, then got up, and headed into the back of the ship.

"Is he okay?" he asked.

"Not even close... I'm not even sure he can hang on until we reach the _Great Wolfen_..." Bartimaeus sighed. "I knew this was a bad idea. I just... I assumed it would be me who got... Hurt."

He and Dox looked down at the still form of Carlos Soldado. The smuggler, and ex-soldier, was barely breathing. He was covered in blood... Most of it was his own, but some of it was that of his enemies. He'd taken no less than four blaster bolts, and then a brutal gouging with a lance through his side. He was very pale... Deathly pale.

"He saved our rears back there," Dox said, shakily. "We'd have never made it through those doors if he hadn't thrown himself at those last two guards... He took a lance in the side but still killed them, man."

Bart nodded.

"I know... He was insane for doing it, but it gave us a chance to get out of that confined space," he said. "We were going to die... And now-"

"We can fix him up when we get home," Dox said, cutting him off. "We've healed a lot worse on that ship." He wasn't so sure about that, but he chose to try and believe his own words.

"Yeah... Sure," Bart replied, not wanting to dwell on what appeared to be the inevitable. "He's still in with a chance." To himself he sighed again, and thought, _"This is why I hate war... Nothing good comes of it."_

*****

"It's done."

"Good... I'm heading back to my ship," Wolf said, quickly turning to leave.

"Hold on, we need to make plans!" Peppy countered.

"The _Great Fox_ is floating above Sauria not too far from the _Great Wolfen_... I think making plans should be easy," Wolf shot back.

Fox, who had just entered the office, nodded.

"We can talk tomorrow," he said. "There's a lot you need to know about this Alliance. And people you need to meet."

"Tomorrow."

With that, Wolf exited the office. He told himself he never wanted to step foot in there again... Little did he know, he wouldn't. That would be the last time Wolf ever found himself there.

Minutes later, the _Wolfen _was airborne. Wolf's mind was troubled... But not because of the war. Because of the past, and all the baggage he was still carrying with him, even after all that time.

*****

The _Renegade _touched down in the docking bay of the _Great Wolfen_, and immediately the back hatch opened. Dox having commed ahead, Arti, Kay-Tee, Andrew, and Mumbo were standing by, ready to help Bartimaeus get Carlos out of the ship.

"Mumbo prepare Bacta tank," Mumbo said, hurrying off.

"What the heck happened to him?" Andrew inquired, as he helped Bart and Arti carry Carlos deeper into the ship.

Dox quickened his steps, so he was walking alongside Andrew.

"We got in a bad spot, thanks to me, and were backed into a corner," he replied. "We had to fight our way out... And... Carlos pretty much sacrificed himself to get us out the door."

"It was completely crazy," Bart said, grimacing. "But very brave..."

Kay-Tee shook his head.

"We should've been there," he stated.

"It was a spy mission... The more people, the less stealthy it would be," Dox told him. "If only the vent hadn't collapsed..."

Bart nodded.

"Yes, I wouldn't have this terrible headache, had that not happened," he said, smirking. His smile faded, though, as he glanced down at Carlos on the stretcher they were carrying. "I guess a headache is nothing to complain about, though."

Later, after Carlos' wounds had been cleaned and he had been placed into the Bacta tank, the group went into the meeting room, and sat down at the large table.

"He has a chance, but... Admittedly, it's not a great chance," Arti said. "I'm not a medical expert, but he lost a lot of blood, and the wounds were pretty bad."

Dox had his eyes cast down as he asked, "How long until we know something for sure?"

Arti shook his head.

"I have no idea," he replied. "But... Well, if he's going to go downhill, it'll happen quickly. If he's going to improve, it'll take some time. So... The longer he at least stays stable, the better." He paused, then added, "Even though his tank is set to trigger an alarm if his vitals drop, I still think we should keep someone in there..."

"I'll spell Andrew, and stay with Carlos a while," Dox offered immediately. Andrew had stayed behind to make sure the equipment was registering properly. Arti nodded at Dox, and the young spy hurried off.

"He's going to carry this with him forever, if Carlos doesn't live," Bartimaeus commented. "It's going to eat him up that he delayed us just long enough to get caught."

"Pair of Socks Man not to blame," Mumbo said quietly. "In war, many things go wrong."

Kay-Tee echoed his agreement somberly, thinking of his past.

"One minute you and your team are working together perfectly, and the next... You're on your own, wondering if you could have downloaded the content faster and prevented what happened." He shook his head. "But eventually you have to accept that things just didn't work properly... And there could have been no other outcome."

Lazlo had been quiet the whole time, quite shaken by seeing the bloody form of Carlos brought in. He sat, as usual, on CT64's hoverbase. The droid had been quiet as well, not sure how to interpret the emotions of the sentients around him.

Just then, Andrew came walking into the room.

"I hate things like that," he remarked, sitting down.

"What?" Kay-Tee asked.

"Seeing people so close to death... Up close, and all," the nephew of Andross replied. "It's... I don't know, it's disturbing I guess. I also hate the sight of blood..." He shuddered.

"Better get used to it, Andrew," Arti said. "We're going to see a lot more death before this war is over... I can feel it."

Just then, the nearby vidscreens came to life, showing a ship approaching. It was the _Wolfen_.

*****

"Commander!"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Three spies broke into the main compound, and were seen not far from Lord Andross' quarters!"

"Did you apprehend them?"

"N-no, sir... They escaped. But one was mortally wounded."

"Fool! They may have learned something important! Track them at once!"

"We tried, sir... But it would seem the ship they escaped in was outfitted with special equipment that completely erased it's trail."

"Failure is frowned upon by Lord Andross... Remember that the next time you are confronted with a problem."

"Y-yes, sir..."

"I must visit Lord Andross at once. Go now... And see to it you do not fail again."

"Yes sir, Commander Caruso!"

The nervous man bolted away, leaving Panther grinning evilly.

"_Commander Caruso_... I do so love how that sounds," he said. "Especially when there is fear in the speaker's voice." He laughed, then hurried down a hallway, planning to head for Lord Andross' quarters.

"Hey, wait!"

Panther whirled, and then grimaced in disgust.

"What now?" he asked.

"I'm going with you to see Lord Andross, Panther."

Panther laughed heartily.

"Oh, I think not, boy," he said, adjusting his new commander's uniform. "He only allows his closest confidants to enter his quarters."

"You can't treat me like this! My father will destroy you when he returns!"

"Two things, boy," Panther said icily. "One, it isn't _when _he returns, it is _if _he returns. And two... I should like to see your father try. Better yet, I would like to see _you _try, boy. I would so enjoy killing you." With that he whirled about, and stalked away.

"You will pay for that, Panther... You will pay." A fire glinted in the dark eyes of Mafefe, as he turned and hurried down the corridor.

*****

"I shouldn't have sent you."

"We did learn quite a bit, though..."

"It doesn't matter. You were right, Bart... It was suicide..." Wolf sighed wearily, thinking of how Carlos looked in that Bacta tank, barely alive.

Bartimaeus shrugged.

"Maybe," he said. "But this is war. Every bit of information you can get is important. And, if someone gets hurt... Or worse... In the process of getting that information, well... That's to be expected."

Wolf turned toward his long-time contact, and frowned.

"You're sounding like a soldier," he commented.

"We all have our pasts, Wolf," Bart replied, looking away.

"Yes... Yes, we do," the Star Wolf captain agreed somberly. "Well, Bart... You did me a great favor, and I'm grateful. I'm sure you want to clear out before the war officially starts, so I'll get your denari, and you can be on your way."

"Wait... I'm not going." Bartimaeus could have kicked himself for saying it like that. He quickly went on. "I mean... Not if you double the denari. Do that, and I'll see this through to the end."

Wolf raised an eyebrow.

"You sure, kid?" he asked.

"You've got the denari, I've got the time," Bart responded, trying to seem casual about it. He didn't want Wolf to know his real reasons for staying... That his old urges to fight the good fight had returned, and that he liked working with a group again. No, there was no need for Wolf to know that.

Wolf suspected as much, however, even though he said nothing about it.

"Well, looks like you'll be sticking around, then," he said, smirking. "You must need the denari."

"Yeah... So... How was Carlos when you checked on him?"

"Not good, but not gone," Wolf said, shrugging. "I wish someone with medical training could check him... Bacta can't perform miracles." He paused, then said, "Not that my luck with doctors has been so great."

"Dox told me about some doctor... Kab, was it? That healed people and then tried to kill you in your sleep?" Bart chuckled darkly. "Some bedside manner."

"That guy's a total nutjob," Wolf replied. "Probably up to his ears in Andross' plans... I only wished I had killed the sonuvamartian."

"Well... He's probably so far away now you'll never get the chance."

*****

Just beyond viewing and scanning distances of the _Great Wolfen_, the _Lamooie_ was suspended in space. Kab was sitting in the pilot seat, trying to stay awake. His job was to figure out what Wolf and Fox were planning to do first, and so far, he'd learned nothing. Mostly because he couldn't get close enough.

Kab cursed under his breath... He'd just have to wait for an opportunity to present itself. Just then, his comm link sounded. Pulling it out, he said, "Kab here."

_"Father?"_

Kab's eyes widened. He hadn't heard his son's voice in so very long.

"Mafefe?" he murmured. "Son, it's good to hear from you!"

_"The touching reunions can wait,"_ Mafefe said curtly. _"There's a problem."_

"What?"

_"Panther is now commander of the Andross' army... And he's threatening you, and me."_

Kab scowled.

"Caruso is all hiss and no scratch," he said. "I wouldn't worry..."

_"He is more formidable than you think, Father."_

"Lord Andross respects me, and in turn, you... He will not see harm come to either of us."

_"You are deluded," _Mafefe replied, bitterly. _"Andross is insane, and from what I've heard, he's become some sort of monster. An evil creature. We can not rely on him to protect us. We need a better plan, Father."_

"I have a plan, Mafefe... Don't you worry," Kab told his son. "Just... Be wary of Caruso and Lord Andross... Mind your tongue, and don't get them mad at you. Wait for me to contact you... We will win out, son."

_"I hope you're right."_

*****

"The time is drawing near, team," Wolf said, looking around the room at each of them in turn. "We're going on the biggest mission of our lives. This ain't about making denari, or getting a thrill. This is about the fate of the whole galaxy."

"We're totally ready," Kay-Tee replied.

"Absolutely," Arti agreed.

"Mumbo ready to Eekum Bokum Andross into giant block of cheese," Mumbo said, earning some laughs.

"I'm ready to put an end to Andross' evil reign," Andrew said, seriously.

"Um... I dunno what good I can do, boss, but... I'll try," Lazlo said timidly.

"I will navigate this ship the best of my abilities, sir," CT64 added.

"Yeah, let's do it, why not?" Bartimaeus said, shrugging.

Wolf nodded.

"All right, then," he said, a grim smile on his face. "I guess there's nothing more to say... The Galaxy War has begun."

_**_End of Chapter Twenty-Six_**_


	27. And so it Begins

_Chapter Twenty-Seven : _

_...And So It Begins..._

_"Captain's log... The war has begun. Today I meet with Fox and the people he wants me to meet, and then our first movement of the war begins. We need to get squadrons into place, and prepare the SharpClaws for what they'll find on Venom. But we have to be ready, because at any moment, Andross could lash out. And me... I have to get my head on straight. I can't let the past interfere with this."_

"It all comes back to her, doesn't it?"

Wolf didn't jump, or whirl about... He was used to it by now.

"You don't know what you're talking about," he muttered over his shoulder, putting down the recorder.

Josh shook his head.

"I do, though, Wolf," he responded. "That's the thing. _I get it_."

Wolf turned his chair around, and looked at the 'messenger from above'.

"Then why don't you tell me all about it?" he inquired. "Go ahead... It's not like I can kill you if I get mad."

"You loved her very much, and yet, that's what you blame the most for how your life turned out. Even with what happened in your childhood, or with what happened in the academy, you could've struggled through. You always do. But with her, something changed... For the better."

"It didn't last," Wolf said, his eyes fixed to the floor. A brand new electronic eyepiece was in place now, replacing the patch he'd been forced to use again. It felt good to have perfect sight, and the digital readouts... But in a way he wondered if he didn't prefer the patch.

"Why not?"

"Because she... No... I'm not doing this," Wolf said, shaking his head. "I won't. I've got too much to do and think about, kid... The galaxy hangs in the balance."

"Then answer me this," Josh asked, "And I'll let it go... Why are you blaming yourself for what happened?"

Wolf glanced up sharply. He stared hard at Josh for a full minute, before answering.

"Because I have no one else to blame," he said at last.

Josh sighed.

"Wolf... Listen to me," he said wearily. "There's much you don't know. Much that I can't tell you... Not yet. But I can tell you this... You need to forgive yourself what happened."

"Like you even know how it went down..."

"You were shot in the eye, and that should've killed you... But still you dragged yourself forward. He dragged her to the very edge, not watching you anymore because he thought you were dead. She drove her elbow into his stomach, and they teetered. You-"

"Shut up!" Wolf howled. He leapt to his feet, and swung his claws at Josh.

Josh vanished into thin air, but his voice still lingered.

"You lunged forward as they fell. For a moment you felt her arm in your grasp, but then... Then she was gone. How can you blame yourself for that?"

"Because I should've been the one who died!" Wolf exclaimed. "Not Laina!"

"Laina left because her time had come," Josh's voice said quietly.

"Right... It was all part of a _plan_, wasn't it?" Wolf asked bitterly. "Wasn't it?!?"

But Josh did not reply. Wolf was all alone once more.

*****

"I'd like to introduce everyone," Fox said. "First, Gled Jinnore and Grye Jinnore... They are the representatives of a small planet called Injona. They are supplying us with technological advancements. Next, Queen Mandara of Pixelania, who is supplying us with a great many soldiers and pilots. Then we have her allies, Icis Mazza and SUB36, rulers in the ArrDubyah sector. We owe them for many ships, soldiers, and weapons."

Fox paused, then turned to the opposite side of the large table.

"Joining the Alliance very recently is Thorne and Narl, representatives of the SharpClaws. We have many ground troops because of them. They are working in tandem with the Rogue Squadron, represented today by Gil Dracone, who offers us the fastest, and most dangerous, pilots in the galaxy. The SharpClaws and the Rogues are under one leadership, however... That leader is Wolf O'Donnell."

Wolf tried not to smirk at the reactions they were getting. The leaders on the other side of the table were looking appalled and perplexed at having to work with pirates, lizards, and the likes of Wolf O'Donnell.

"Thanks, McCloud," Wolf said, rising to his feet. "I'd like to say a few words, now."

Fox gave him a look that seemed to say "Don't mess this up", but nodded and sat down. Wolf met the eyes of every person at the table, making quite sure they were paying attention, then spoke.

"You are most likely wondering what the heck is going on here," he said, "And why the hated and feared are now your allies. It's simple. Because if you don't work with us, you lose the war."

Fox rolled his eyes, but Wolf paid him not attention.

"I brought troops to the table," Wolf continued. "Pilots that are capable of dogfighting better than any you've ever seen, and ground troops with strength and instincts that top anyone Andross could send out. Your Alliance was outnumbered heavily, before... Now it's only outnumbered slightly. And those numbers could even out within only the first few strikes."

He paused, then went on.

"My spies learned that Andross has stockpiled ships and weaponry in numbers that you couldn't fathom," he said darkly. "If this war is fought like an endurance test, we would lose. Badly. That's why this must be fought on the offensive. I intend to lead my armada into Venom airspace, and take the planet's skies... While my troops are taking the major cities. If this attempt succeeds, the war efforts of our enemies will be crippled."

"That's easy to say," Gled Jinnore spoke up, "But surely you don't have enough men to attempt that on your own."

Wolf shook his head.

"No, I don't," he replied. "I'd need a battalion or two of foot soldiers, and at least another squadron of ships."

"And if you fail?" SUB36 questioned. "All those troops would be gone, and we would have little left to defend our homes with."

Fox stood once more.

"If we go into a defensive stance, we will lose anyway," he stated. "More slowly, maybe... But Wolf is exactly right. We don't have the resources to outlast Andross... We must take the fight directly to him, and defeat him. His allies will more than likely withdraw."

"The Cornerian Royal Family approves of this?" Queen Mandara inquired.

Fox and Wolf exchanged a glance, and Fox chose his words carefully.

"Their approval is visible in the decision for Star Fox to fight alongside Star Wolf, and lead the space foray," he said. "General Hare, the supreme commander, is closely involved."

Most of the delegates exchanged glances, and murmured to one another. Finally, Icis Mazza spoke.

"In that case, we offer any help we can," he said. "Not only will we supply you with men, but we will also fly our battle cruisers with your armada."

Fox raised his eyebrows, not expecting that.

"Uh... Thank you, sir," he said. "This is the right decision."

"Hopefully so," Gled Jjinnore commented. "Come on, brother, let's make plans." He stood, and started toward the door. Grye got out of his chair slowly, and stiffly followed, never saying a word.

"What's up with him?" SUB36 wondered. "He's usually not so quiet..."

"He's been odd the past few weeks," Icis said, shrugging. "I asked Gled about it, and he's perplexed as well... Grye had been working on some sort of project, something he was rather obsessed with apparently. Gled said that one day he was fine, and the next Grye was like a statue, quiet and emotionless. Perhaps his project failed, and it is troubling him."

"This is war," Queen Mandara stated, rising. "His mind needs to be focused on our planets surviving, not on some project." Turning her attention to Wolf, she gave him a nod. "I know of your reputation, Captain... I have not yet decided rather it is a black mark against you, or something that will be an asset to our endeavors. Time will tell, I suppose. Good day."

"Good day, your highness," Wolf said, inclining his head slightly. The Queen then left, with Icis and SUB36 following shortly afterward. Wolf glanced over at Thorne, Narl, and Gil, and said, "Well... At least they accepted us."

Fox sighed, and sat down.

"We've put our necks on the line, Wolf," he commented. "If we don't succeed-"

"We'll be dead," Wolf finished for him. "I'd rather go down taking a piece of Andross with me, than sit around hoping the shields hold up."

"I agree," Gil said, smirking. "If we're to be in this mess, I'd just as soon take the offensive, as you suggested."

"Our new brother isss very sssmart," Thorne said. "He isss a fine general."

Wolf shook his head.

"Captain," he corrected. "Just a captain. That's all I'll ever be."

"To usss you ssshall be General O'Donnell, sssir," Narl replied. "That isss your inherited posssition."

"And, technically, you'll be a field commander for the Cornerian army," Fox added. "So, expect the Cornerian forces to refer to you as Commander O'Donnell."

"That's crazy," Wolf muttered. "But whatever..." He didn't intend on remaining as general for the SharpClaws, or commander for Corneria, for very long, anyhow. As soon as Andross was eliminated, he would be Captain Wolf O'Donnell again, headed for the far side of the universe. He realized he might not live through the war, however... But then, he wouldn't have to worry about what people called him.

*****

"So your powers actually worked?" Kay-Tee murmured in surprise.

"Yep," Dox said, smiling smugly. "I'm a force to be reckoned with, and Andross will soon know that."

Arti rolled his eyes.

"Sounds to me like you're playing with fire," he commented. "You said that you felt weak after 'erasing' those guys, right?"

"Well... A little."

"Okay, well, what happens after you take on a whole group?" Arti asked. "If erasing two weakened you like it did, what about five, or ten?" He paused, then added, "And I know what you're thinking... You'd like to use it on Andross, and be the hero of the galaxy."

Dox scowled, wishing Arti didn't know him so well. Arti went on, saying, "If you try taking him out, though, you might just kill yourself in the process. In my opinion, this power is just as dangerous for you as it is for our enemies."

"I agree," Kay-Tee said.

"Yeah, same here," Andrew spoke up. "It sounds like dark magic, like Andross is wrapped up in now."

Dox sighed.

"Look," he said, pacing about, "I'm not going to be stupid about it. But, if I have the opportunity to at least put a dent in Andross, then I'm taking it." He stopped short, and glanced at his teammates. "It's kinda nice to know you don't want me killing myself, though."

"Who said that?" Arti replied, keeping a straight face. "I just don't want you dying at an inopportune moment, and costing the rest of us our lives, too."

The other two laughed, and Dox rolled his eyes. Just then, Bartimaeus entered the room.

"Well," he said, sitting down at the table, "I think Carlos might be improving a bit... He seems a little more stable, anyway."

"I'll go check on him," Dox said, then hurried off.

"So..." Bart muttered uncomfortably, looking around. "Err... Seen any good holovids?"

Kay-Tee snickered.

"You really don't want to be here, do ya?" he asked.

"I do... Err... I mean, not really... Well, kind of," Bart stammered. "Look, I'm getting paid well."

Arti raised an eyebrow.

"Seems to me you're not sure why you're here," he commented.

Bart shrugged, and said, "Denari." But, deep down, he was sort of enjoying the comradery of team Star Wolf. He wasn't sure any of them would live through this idiotic war that was ahead of them, but... He felt compelled to see it through.

"I need to get dinner started," Kay-Tee announced. "CT64 has some awesome recipes in his databanks... And even Lazlo has been helping out." He chuckled. "Wolf jokingly told him not to get too close to the WaveCooker, in case he melted... Poor Laz sits as far from it as possible, now."

He left, moments before Wolf walked in.

"Well," he said, seeing Bartimaeus and Arti, "The allies accepted us. And offered us a lot more troops and ships."

"Good, we needed it," Arti remarked.

"No kidding," Wolf said, tiredly. He dropped into a chair, and sighed. "I've never been so mentally tired in my life."

"Finally using your brain has proven a bit much for you, has it?" Bart asked innocently. Arti hid a grin, but Wolf just shook his head.

"I'm too tired to kill you right now," he muttered. "Make a note of it, and I'll kill you later, okay?" He gave them a small smirk, then got up. "I'm gonna catch a few winks, before we head back to Sauria to prepare the SharpClaws for their first strike on Venom."

"He must be tired," Bartimaeus said, after Wolf had exited the room. "Normally he would've threatened me with his blaster in hand."

Arti laughed.

"He's got a lot on his plate," he said. "Even so, he's had a somewhat better sense of humor of late." He paused, thinking that he had changed a bit himself. He was more open, and allowing himself to connect with people... And spending far less time in his mech suit than he ever would've thought possible.

_"Maybe,"_ he thought to himself, _"I'm just allowing myself to enjoy what might be my last few days... Or hours."_

*****

"SharpClaws! I am here to tell you that the time to strike is now! The accursed dictator, that dark lord, that evil despot, that thrice-accursed villain who calls himself Andross, will tremble at our merciless upheaval of his regime! Tremble, and beg on his knees... Before we smite the sonuvamartian!"

Wolf facepalmed, then said, "I'm not saying that, Kay-Tee."

"Why not?" the young Anthro-Avian wanted to know.

"Because it's a lot more than I need to say, that's why," Wolf replied. "Now, be quiet... It's time."

Kay-Tee looked disappointed, but went to join his teammates who were standing at the back of the platform. Wolf stepped up to the edge, the same spot that had come in so handy to fake Scales' death, and looked across the chasm, to the gathered SharpClaws.

"SharpClaws!" he started. "The time is now! This is what you've trained for... The war against Andross! Ready your weapons, and board the ships... We fight!"

The SharpClaws shouted, hissed, and snorted their approval of this, banging their weapons against their shields, then hurrying to the ships, where they would begin to board.

Wolf glanced back at his team, and Kay-Tee shrugged.

"Not bad," the pilot conceded.

Wolf smirked, and then said, "Well, we'd better get up to the _Great Wolfen_... We have to join up with the rest of the armada, and get in position."

"So, this is really it, then?" Dox asked. "We're really heading off to war?"

"Pair of Socks Man no be afraid," Mumbo said. "Wolf Man lead us well."

"I'm not afraid," Dox countered, "Not really... I'm just a little nervous, I guess."

"I know, kid," Wolf said, nodding. "I'm nervous, too... But, we've made it this far, so whose to say we won't win out in the end?"

Bartimaeus chuckled darkly.

"Either that, or we'll be dead in the end," he quipped. "Then it won't matter."

"And with that helpful optimism, we'll get under way," Wolf said, rolling his eyes. "Let's go, Star Wolf. You too, Bart."

*****

"&%$# this," Kab complained. "I'll never get the kind of information that Andross wants from afar... Then again, why do I care? I have other plans." He grinned evilly. "One secret weapon already in place, and another on the way..."

He cackled to himself, then looped his ship around, planning on changing position. It was then that his comm link came to life. Kab cursed, returning his ship to suspended parking, and answered.

"Yes?"

_"Hello, Doctor,"_ a felinoid voice purred. _"It has been much too long since we last spoke."_

Kab's eyes glinted.

"Well, if it isn't the new &#$ commander," he said. "How did you get my comm code, Caruso?"

_"From your son, of course. He was somewhat uncooperative at first, but after we talked things over, he became much more compliant."_

"What did you do to Mafefe?" Kab asked, gritting his teeth.

_"Bring me detailed information on the Alliance's first strike, Kab,"_ Panther replied, _"And you will return to find your son relatively unharmed..."_ He paused, then softly growled out the words, _"But if you fail to properly warn us of their movements, your little boy will suffer... I will see to it personally."_

"You sonuvamartian, I'll kill-" Kab stopped as he realized the link was dead. The doctor stared at his instrument panel for several minutes, trying to decide what to do. In the end, the answer was clear.

"I have to stick to my plan," he murmured. "If it goes as I think it will, I'll be in a position to make demands... If not, then I make the best of it, and bail. Then... I'll have to figure out some &%$ way of getting Mafefe off of Venom." He sighed. "Sorry, son... I have to do this my way."

*****

"All right, get Fox on the comm and tell him-"

"Ship approaching!" Kay-Tee interrupted Wolf, pointing to the main vid-screen.

"Give me a name, kid," Wolf said, tensing in his captain's chair.

Kay-Tee was quiet for a moment, then exclaimed, "All right! It's the _NinsonX_!"

A cheer went up from the small group on the command bridge, though Wolf only smirked.

"Guess they missed us," he said, chuckling.

"Incoming vid-comm," Arti announced. "Patching it through."

The screen flickered to life, and there was Pablo G. Pym, captain of the _NinsonX_.

"Hello, Wolf," he said. "Not too late to join the fun, I hope?"

"Depends on your opinion of fun," Wolf remarked, with a wolfish grin. "We're headed off to make a dent in Andross' armor."

"Then I guess we're just in time," Pablo replied, nodding. "Sounds like fun." Just then El Boton, Mac Banjo, and Zack Vee leaned into view, and waved.

"Hi, gang," Mac said, grinning. "I'm the one who talked Pym into tracking you down sooner."

"But I traced the comm signal code so we could find them," Zack countered.

"I decoded the signal for you," El tossed in.

"I see some things never change," Wolf said to Pablo.

The captain rolled his eyes.

"No kidding," he muttered. "Anyway... We'll be with you in this. We picked up a couple of fighter ships, and are ready to do some damage."

Wolf was tempted to tell Pym to make tracks, but he knew that the Alliance needed all the help they could get... And besides, having another ship full of guys he knew he were reliable would be a relief in a dogfight.

"Welcome to the Alliance... CT64 will beam the coordinates we're headed for," he said at last. "Now, as I was saying before... Kay-Tee, get Fox on the comm. Tell him to meet us at the rendezvous... And tell him we're bringing friends."

"Aye, aye, boss!"

*****

"You're sure you can trust them?" Fox asked.

Wolf paused. It wasn't that long ago he had said that he trusted nobody... That it was safer that way. But now, he was beginning to rethink that. He trusted his team. He trusted that Fox wouldn't stab him in the back. He even trusted Gil Dracone and the rest of the pirates to honor their deal. Things had changed mightily in Wolf's mind.

"I trust them," he replied. "We went through quite an ordeal together... We owe each other our lives."

Fox nodded on the small vid-screen of Wolf's wrist computer. He had asked to speak with him privately, to inquire more about the _NinsonX_'s crew.

"Okay... See you in a few minutes," the Star Fox captain responded, before the screen went black.

He made a quick detour by the med ward, and was amazed to see Carlos out of the bacta tank, sitting up on a cot. He stepped into the room and said, "Geez, kid... I figured you'd be out for a while."

"I'm... Stronger than I look," Carlos grunted out. "You'll... See."

"Just don't push your luck," Wolf warned, then left the room.

Wolf went back to his chair on the bridge, and began thinking over their first planned attack run on Andross' armada. He wasn't sure what to expect, of course... Andross had amassed many allies of his own, and likely had ships and pilots from many different planets circling his own home planet, Venom.

The Alliance's plan was to send two forces (mostly consisting of pirates, with a few Cornerian and Ally squads mixed in) arcing in from either side, while a central attack force charged straight forward. This group was made up of the _Great Wolfen_, the _Great Fox_, and the _NinsonX_, as well as Icis Mazza and SUB36's flagship the _Green Witch_, Queen Mandara's flagship the _Violet Kitty_, and the Jinnnore brothers' flagship the _Jinnorian_.

While this direct attack on Andross' main armada was happening, the SharpClaws, along with men from various other Alliance members' planets, would be attacking the various capitals of Venom, most importantly Venomia City. The chief hope in doing these attacks simultaneously was to ground any ships that might be waiting to take off, and hopefully to draw Andross out of his compound.

"Hey, Wolf," Bart said, interrupting Wolf's thoughts. "Do you think we'll do much damage in our fighter ships? Seems to me the flagships will make more of a statement, with their heavy lasercannons."

"They'll open up some holes in their shields, and hopefully drop a couple enemy flagships," Wolf replied, "But they can't deal with the smaller, faster battle cruisers as well, and that's where we'll come in. We're going to have to drop the cruisers before they reach the _Great Wolfen_ and the other flagships."

"I feel like I'd be more help with the ground crew," Dox said quietly, itching to delve into the mysterious power he barely knew how to control.

Wolf glanced at him, and shook his head.

"We need you in the air, kid," he told him. Part of him was telling the truth, because Dox was a good pilot, but another part of him was concerned about these 'powers'. They hadn't had much time to discuss it all, but he had a bad feeling about them. "We all have a part to play in this thing."

"Somehow I don't think we're going to be sticking around for an encore," Bartimaeus grumbled, shifting in his chair.

"Maybe not, but we're going to give the rest of the Alliance a chance to win this war," Arti countered. "We won't have died in vain."

"Speak for yourself," Bart said under his breath, rolling his eyes.

"Rendezvous point reached," CT64 announced.

"All right, exit hyperspace and suspend," Wolf ordered. "I'll get the _Wolfen_, and hop over to the _Great Fox_, to make sure Fox and his fancy allies are still on the same page we are. Be back in a few."

*****

"We're ready, commanders," Icis said. "We're standing by for your signal."

The screen went black, and Wolf stood up.

"Guess everyone's got the plan down," he said. "See you in the dogfight, McCloud."

Fox nodded.

"Watch your back out there, Wolf... I'm going to be too busy to do it for you," he quipped.

Wolf smirked, and walked away, saying, "Practice what you preach, punk." He made his way out to the hangar, and was about to climb into the _Wolfen_, when he noticed Falco standing by one of the large hangar windows, peering out.

"Hoping to wish on a falling star, Lombardi?" Wolf inquired with a sneer.

Falco didn't turn around, but said, "Take a look at this, O'Donnell." Wolf, curious, walked over, and looked out into space. Off to one side he could see the _Great Wolfen_ and the ally ships. Aside from that it was just empty space, other than the glowing orb that was Venom.

"I don't see... Wait..." He leaned forward, staring more intently. "Sonuvamartian."

"Seems like Andross upped his game," Falco remarked, dashing away. "I need to tell Fox!"

Wolf was in his _Wolfen_ in seconds, heading back to his flagship. Their whole plan was about to fall apart, unless they acted fast. Because, heading quickly toward them was the armada they had hoped to catch off guard. The Venomian Space Armada.

Instead of flying into the hangar of his flagship, Wolf circled overhead, keying the comm link.

"Scramble, scramble!" he shouted. "The enemy's closing in!"

With amazing quickness, the _Kazolfen_, the _Nutsen_, the _XV-88 Destroyer Wolfen-Mech_, the _Paradoxen_, Bart's ship _The Djinni_, and the _Renegade_, were all out of the _Great Wolfen_, and forming up with Wolf.

Andrew's old ship had been repurposed some time ago, so he was piloting the _Renegade _(Carlos' ship). To Wolf's mild surprise, however, Carlos was on-board the ship as well.

_"I'm well enough to man the guns, Wolf,"_ the pirate radioed. _"Besides, if Andrew puts a dent in my ship, I wanna be here to kill him personally."_ He then chuckled, which was somewhat of a relief to Andrew.

Joining them in the formation was Fox, Falco, Slippy, and Krystal. The A and B forces (the ones meant to attack from either side) were waiting nearby. The A group was being led by Gil Dracone and Ray Newell... The B group by Bill Grey and a young pilot, from Icis Mazza's army, named Rider Storm.

_"On your mark, Wolf,"_ Fox said, quietly.

The enemy forces were quite visible now... Wolf knew it was now or never.

"Now! Head out, squadrons!" he exclaimed into his comm. To himself he thought, _"And so it begins... But will first blood go to us, or them?"_

_**_End of Chapter Twenty-Seven **_


	28. First Blood

_Chapter Twenty-Eight :_

_First Blood_

Lazlo had never taken part in a war before. It wasn't in his nature, for one thing... And, of course, no adventurous group had ever taken him in before, either. That changed when he became a member of team Star Wolf. The adventure, the excitement... It was common now. Albeit, Lazlo hadn't had much of it himself, aside from helping Arti save their headquarters.

But the little marshmallow man was happy with that... He knew he was no match for most of the villains in the universe, so it was better to sit back, watch, and get all the exciting details from his teammates later. But now... They were at war. Rather he wanted to be or not.

Seated in the captain's chair of the _Great Wolfen_, Lazlo watched with wide eyes as his teammates, _his friends_, flew off to meet the enemy. But he wasn't completely safe... No, the _Great Wolfen_ was coming too, although it and the other flagships were slower than the fast fighter ships. CT64 was in complete charge of the ship, plugged directly into it's operating system.

"Lazlo," he said, his voice sounding more sentient than droid, "I would appreciate it if you would let me know if you see anything coming our way. I can multitask better than any droid in this system, but I can't see _everything _around me _all _the

time."

"Sure thing, CT64," Lazlo replied, somewhat nervously. He moved closer to a nearby display screen, and said, "Show top-down perspective." The image changed to showing the ship as if looking down from above. "Zoom out." Now he would see if anything was headed their way, like a missile, or a fighter ship.

"Thank you, little friend," CT64 intoned, his mechanical mind working on multiple battle plans, scanning the stats of each Alliance member's ship, and piloting the _Great Wolfen_, all at the same time.

_"CT64, you copy? This is Wolf."_

"Loud and clear, go ahead, Captain."

_"I just wanted to make sure you were ready to bail out anyone who needed some cover fire, or someone who needed to land in the docking bay,"_ Wolf said, his voice unbelievably steady, though he was currently racing toward the enemy at top speed.

"Those are only two of many things I am prepared for, Captain," CT64 assured him.

"I'm on lookout duty!" Lazlo called out.

_"Heh... Good. You two keep my ship safe for me, eh?"_

"10-4!" Lazlo said enthusiastically.

"Understood," was CT64's reply.

_"Wolf, out."_

*****

Wolf turned his attention fully on the approaching enemies, his mind becoming more focused, his breathing controlled... This wasn't his first war, and thought it might be his last, he wouldn't let his nerves get the better of him. He was one of the best pilots in the galaxy, and his allies were no slouches either.

_"You ready, Wolf?"_ Fox asked him, his voice sounding only slightly tense.

_"That's a stupid question,"_ Dox jumped in._ "The boss is always ready."_

_"Oh, sure,"_ Falco muttered, in a tone that suggested he was rolling his eyes.

"You heard the kid," Wolf said, a smirk on his face. "Now cut the chatter... It's go time."

And so the war truly began. At first Wolf thought they might have made a mistake... Splitting into three squadrons made their group, the central force, highly vulnerable. This was made abundantly clear when an Alliance pilot named Axel Bond was ganged up on by three enemy ships at once, and promptly blown to bits.

_"First blood to Andross,"_ Wolf thought bitterly.

Thankfully CT64 had a plan for combatting this. As soon as they had begun to appear outnumbered (or swarmed, as Andrew was putting it), CT64 had shared an idea with Wolf, which he now implemented.

"Gold Squadron! Up!" he said into his comm. Without hesitation, the entire Gold Squadron (teams Star Wolf and Star Fox, as well as a few other Alliance fighter ships), zoomed straight upward. Before their enemies could think of following, the _Great Wolfen, NinsonX, _and _Green Witch_ flagships all fired their massive turbolasers into the enemy's midst!

The enemy fighters swerved away to the right and left, barrel rolling to avoid damage. Most did, though a number were vaporized instantly. The rest, however, flew directly into the oncoming A and B squadrons!

"Take 'em apart!" Wolf shouted into his comm, now coming through on all channels.

And so they did, coming at the enemy from every angle, blocking their escape routes, catching them in crossfire, and sometimes even causing them to shoot one another. Andross' pilots were in complete disarray.

Wolf was opening fire on yet another ship (his mind was keeping score, and had him at 17 kills already), when the first plea for help came over the comm.

_"I can't shake him!"_ Several people groaned, for of course it was Slippy Toad.

Wolf glanced at his tactical display screen, and saw the blinking green dot that he knew was Slippy. Sadly he realized he was the closest Gold Squadron ship, and grudgingly rolled away from the ship he was pursuing, and shot after Slippy and the bogie on his tail.

"I'm coming, Toady," he grumbled into the comm. Wolf could've sworn he heard Falco laugh in his ear, but couldn't be sure.

_"Help!"_

Wolf thrusted forward, then looped up behind Slippy's attacker.

"Say goodbye, punk," he muttered. A charged blast shot out of the _Wolfen_, and vaporized the Venomian fighter ship. "Watch your back next time, Toady."

_"Thanks, Wolf. I thought they had-"_

"Enough with the tired old lines!" Wolf shouted, spiralling away to get back into the main pack again. His mind was quickly focused on the task at hand once more, as his inner tally kepy climbing... 18, 19, 20... How many would die this day? And how many by the might of Wolf O'Donnell?

_"They're turning back toward Venom!"_ Krystal exclaimed.

Wolf checked his tactical display, and saw she was right... The enemy ships were fleeing.

"We can't let them reach their reserve squadrons and flagships!" he said. "Use the boost to give... Argh, now I'm doing it! Just go after them."

Of course, he was leading the charge. Fox wasn't far behind, and everyone else had their ships going as fast as they could to keep up. Wolf took down a few of the straggling Venomian ships, then thrusted again, angling down, and then looping to come up into their midst... 22, 23, 24.

He knew if they didn't have a chance to regroup before they were in range of the remaining squadrons of the Venomian armada, they would be toast. But, fortunately, that didn't happen. With an amazing show of dogfighting abilities, the enemy squadron was completely decimated, and with quite a distance left between them and the rest of Andross' armada.

"All right, regroup everyone," Wolf said tiredly. "Standard formations." He then did his best to catch his breath. It was like he had been holding his breath the whole time, so focused was Wolf during the battle. "Any more casualties to report?"

_"Two more Alliance pilots, and three Rogue pilots,"_ Arti replied._ "I don't know their names..."_

"Just as well," Wolf muttered. He didn't need to think about the death tally for this war with names, faces, and lives attached to each number. It was safer, mentally, to leave everything as a statistic. However, if one of his own teammates had fallen... There was no getting around the effect it would have on him.

_"How many did you get, O'Donnell?" _Falco inquired._ "I had 18."_

"I lost count." That was a lie, of course... Wolf recalled every one of the 34 kills he'd racked up. But he wasn't proud. In the past he would have boasted... But now he just felt tired.

_"We don't have long, Wolf,"_ Fox commented. _"I think we need to get right to work dismantling the bulk of Andross' armada... We may have to head for the surface and give support to the ground assault squads."_

"Yeah, I know," Wolf responded. "Just giving everyone a chance to get their heads on straight." He then entered a comm signal code, simultaneously closing off all other comms except for Fox's, and said, "Thorne? This is W-... General O'Donnell. You copy?"

_"Yesss, General... Cryssstal clear."_

"Have you begun your attack?"

_"We are about to begin attacking Venomia City, sssir, at any moment."_

"Good... Be sure to let us know if things get bad," Wolf told him. "We'll come when we can."

_"Underssstood, General. Thorne, out."_

Wolf knew Fox had listened, and said, "Well... Guess we take care of the job at hand, so we can be free to get to the surface at a moment's notice."

_"Let's go,"_ Fox agreed.

*****

Kab was just back of the flagships, far enough back to avoid detection. He was watching carefully, and waiting impatiently. He knew that his secret weapons would need to be saved for the perfect moment, so as to do maximum damage, but it was very tempting to make his move sooner.

His mind kept straying to his son, however. Mafefe had no doubt imagined he was going to be treated as an important member of the Venomian army. More likely still, he had expected to be able to continue bossing Panther around as if they were equals, or better yet, as if he was higher ranked than Caruso.

But Andross had only sent him off with Panther to begin with to make sure Mafefe was under a watchful eye... And so Kab would know what price would be paid if he failed. And yet, Kab had not reported in to Andross in some time, moreover, he was blocking all incoming comm signals.

"Andross will have Panther too %$#& busy to worry about Mafefe right now," Kab murmured to himself. "And then, after my plan goes into action, I'll have the opportunity to go back for him... And together we'll bask in the triumph that we so rightly deserve. Those sons of Martians will tremble at our names, in the end. Before we kill them all."

*****

Gled Jinnore was in one of two command chairs that was situated on the bridge. He'd always worked in tandem with his brother, even piloting their flagship... Things had changed, however. His brother was no longer himself. For one thing, he hadn't uttered a word in days... Gled hoped the coming battle would snap him out of it.

"Grye, can you bring up the secondary tactical schematics?" he asked, while studying a map showing the approximate location of the bulk of Andross' armada. He got no answer, so he added, "Grye... Did you hear me?" No reply. Puzzled, he looked across at his brother, only to see him staring straight ahead, not moving or even blinking.

"Grye?" Gled got to his feet, and walked over to his brother. "Grye, are you all right?" He waved his hand in front of Grye's eyes, but got absolutely no reaction. A prod in the arm did nothing, either. Gled worriedly gave his brother a shake, but nothing would cause Grye to show he had any idea what was happening.

"Quickly, take my brother to the med ward, and see he's examined immediately," he said to the droid nearby, who picked up Grye in a fireman's hold, and hurried off with him.

Gled sighed, returning to his command chair. His brother was catatonic, but there was a war going on all around them... He could not let worry cloud his mind, not now.

*****

Panther Caruso had debated at length what role he would play in this battle. Part of him wanted to sit in the command chair of his new flagship, the _Bloody Rose_, and shout orders to his troops... But he also wanted to have the opportunity to shoot down Wolf O'Donnell, and put an end to his new hero image.

In the end, revenge won out.

"Follow me, gentlemen," he said over his comm to his squadron. "Attack quickly, keep moving, and obliterate them completely... But leave O'Donnell to me."

His cat eyes glinted evilly. Everything was working so well... He had no doubt that Kab was scurrying back to Andross, subservient once more, to protect his brat of a son. Little did Kab know, however, that Mafefe was not on Venom... He was locked away, aboard the _Bloody Rose_.

"Attack!"

*****

"Here goes everything," Wolf murmured. "If we fail..."

_"We'll all be dead, so it won't matter,"_ Bart interjected.

_"Bart Man get on Mumbo's nerves,"_ Mumbo grumbled.

_"We're going to succeed,"_ Andrew announced, with more confidence than any of them had ever heard in his voice.

_"Yep, 'cause we're the best in the business,"_ Kay-Tee tossed in.

_"No kidding,"_ Dox agreed.

_"Wolf, we're all behind you,"_ Arti said.

_"Yeah... So they'll shoot you first,"_ Bart added, snickering.

_"Oh, shut up,"_ Carlos muttered.

_"Do you guys always hold long conversations like this before going into battle?"_ Krystal wondered aloud, amused.

_"Let's just do our job, and get to the surface,"_ Fox requested.

_"Those guys sure are faster than they used to be,"_ Slippy remarked.

_"Anything's faster than you, Slip," _Falco said, with a laugh.

_"Still in one piece back here,"_ Pablo threw in. _"The boys are joining you out there in the next skirmish... Mac and El have a two-person fighter ship, and Zack has a recommissioned Arwing. I'll hang back and offer cover fire when I can."_

"Thanks, Pablo," Wolf told him. "Appreciate it. And the same goes for all the rest of you..." He paused, cracking his neck, and limbering up his hands. Then he said, "Let's do this, boys." Hearing Krystal _"Hmmph!" _over the comm, he added, "And girls."

Hitting the thrusters, they all shot forward, taking the battle to the enemy armada.

*****

"The time is drawing nearer," Kab whispered to himself. "Soon I can unleash my secret weapons on them all... Oh, won't they be %&$ surprised? O'Donnell, McCloud, Caruso... And, when it reaches his $#% deformed ears, Andross himself. Perhaps he'll even respect me, after this... But I don't care. So long as Mafefe is still alive when I am done here, so I can go get him."

His left hand instinctively went to the wrist computer he wore on his right arm. So easy it would be to type in the command now... But he would wait a little longer. Let the Alliance destroy some of Andross' ships, and clear him a bit of a path... That would come make things easier.

Kab was not as insane as many people assumed. He was quite brilliant, when he was sober and motivated. And he was both, right now... Oh yes, he had no doubt slipped between the cracks. Wolf probably hadn't thought of him since he escaped the _|_33+ Hacker_ (now the _Great Wolfen_). And even Panther was now, most likely, more focused on Wolf and Fox, than on Kab and his son.

He grinned. If this worked... No... _When _this worked, he would be remembered for eons. The man who toppled both sides of the war, and came out the victor, all on his own. Kab picked up speed to get closer to the action, so he could be ready to initiate his plan.

*****

The _Green Witch_ was near Wolf's flagship, coordinating the ships they had brought, and preparing to enter the battle properly, against the battle cruisers ahead.

"Status report?" Icis Mazza asked of the droid nearby.

"Only one of our ships has fallen, sir."

"We are all part of the same Alliance," SUB36 said, looking away from the vidscreen. "We treat all of those pilots as our own." Even though he was not a humanoid, his advanced organic-computative mind generated thoughts and feelings very much like a sentient being.

"My apologies. In that case, there have been six ships destroyed," the droid replied evenly.

Icis nodded.

"Let's see to it that as few as possible fall as we progress," he declared.

"I made sure our fighter ships are prepped and ready to go," SUB36 told him. "Just in case."

Icis grinned, and said, "I like the way you think, old friend."

*****

The battle was raging once more. They were everywhere... Wolf realized immediately that they had misjudged the numbers that Andross would have in space. They were outnumbered ten to one at least, and while that might be okay for him, it was too much for many of the Alliance.

Ray Newell's ship took heavy damage fairly early in the second battle. Gil Dracone ordered him to head for one of the flagships, and Wolf himself came over the comm to point him toward the _Great Wolfen_.

_"I don't need anything from you, O'Donnell!"_ the young man snapped. _"Now shut up and leave me-"_ The silence was sudden, and permanent. A short, fiery explosion marked the end of the quick-tempered pirate.

Wolf cringed. He'd never been able to make up for what he had cost Ray on that job in the past. But he was in the thick of a grueling dogfight, and couldn't dwell on the rogue's death for long... Although, he made sure to obliterate the ship responsible for Ray's death immediately.

"That's 38," he mumbled. His mind was being tugged in a million different places... The comm was an echoing, garbled mix of several pilots shouting for backup at once, and the view out his canopy was obscured with constantly darting ships, mingled with bursts of fire, and flying debris.

And then he saw a different ship enter the fray. Obviously this was Andross' new commander. The ship was a new model, top of the line, and one of the best denari could buy... And there was a rose painted on each side of the cockpit.

"Panther," Wolf said, his eyes narrowing. "Should've known."

Andrew's voice broke through the jumble of other voices, sounding surprised.

_"Panther's the new commander?!?"_ he exclaimed.

Wolf didn't reply... He wasn't sure he would be heard if he did, but aside from that, he knew he was about to go toe to toe with Panther. He also knew it wasn't going to be easy to outrun that new ship, but as ever, Wolf was confident that his enemy wasn't nearly as cunning as himself.

He shot toward Panther, cutting a straight path through the other ships, bringing his tally up to 44 before breaking into open space, where Panther was circling, waiting for him.

Suddenly the jumble of voices was cut off, and only Panther's voice (venomous, yet sickeningly sweet) could be heard, as he said, _"Hello, Wolf... Long time no see."_

"Sold your soul to get a new ship, I see," Wolf said casually, circling now as well, watching Panther warily.

_"Oh, Lord Andross was willing to give me the best equipment, so long as it meant killing you, and crippling the Alliance," _Panther said, and Wolf could imagine the fanged smile he was wearing.

"Looks like he'll have wasted his money, Caruso," Wolf snarled, whipping his ship into a tight loop, and firing rapidly in Panther's direction.

One or two of the shots struck his ship, but seemed to bounce harmlessly off his shields. The rest missed entirely, as the ship spun clear, and zipped underneath the _Wolfen_. Wolf had to quickly spin as well, to avoid the barrage Panther was sending his way. There was no doubt in his mind, now, that he would not be outrunning that ship. No, he needed a plan.

_"Time to die..."_

"I don't think so, punk."

*****

"Where's the boss?" Dox wanted to know.

Kay-Tee, barely hearing him through the garbled voices, responded.

_"I think he went after Panther,"_ he said, as he barrel rolled away from two enemies who were bearing down on him. _"Seems his old teammate has been made the Venomian Armada Commander."_

Dox fell silent, as he weaved in and out of the fight. He was looking for Wolf, but could see no sign of the _Wolfen_. Dox currently had the _Paradoxen_ in stealth mode, and was keeping out of blaster range as much as he could. It was a drain to his ship's power, though, so he couldn't stay invisible for long. Still, maybe he would see something important this way.

_"Where Pair of Socks Man?!?"_ Mumbo exclaimed, thinking Dox had been killed since he couldn't see him.

"I'm fine," he told the shaman. "Just having an invisible look around. I was-... Oh crap, behind you, Mumbo!"

Mumbo did a quick loop, but took a charged shot to his left wing. The _Nutsen_ spun out of control for several moments, before he managed to right it. Still, it was smoking badly, and flying somewhat sideways now.

_"Mumbo must land,"_ the shaman said dejectedly.

_"We'll cover you, get to the Great Wolfen!"_ Carlos shouted, the _Renegade_ flying into view.

Dox followed them for a moment, until he was sure Mumbo would make it back soundly, then jumped back into the battle, visible once more. He caught several enemies by surprise, and fragged them out of existance.

"Hey, Arti, you've been quiet," Dox said into comm link. "You okay?"

Arti didn't reply for a long time, but finally said, _"I'm... Fine. Just... Focused."_ Dox thought that was a strange response, but then again, they were in the midst of a battle.

After taking on a couple of enemies down, Dox tried to raise Wolf on the comm, but was met with no reply. Still, Wolf could look out for himself... He'd managed all his life, and especially lately, to overcome extremely difficult obstacles. Then again, this was probably the biggest obstacle he'd ever taken on.

"Quit worrying," Dox mumbled to himself. "Just keep fighting, so we can wrap this up and head for the surface... You have a date with Andross, Paradox Author... A meeting that one of you... Or both of you... Might not survive."

*****

Kab's fingers were tingling with anticipation as he entered the command. Moments before, he had activated the sensors so that the command signal could be picked up. And now... He was initiating the sequence.

"Laugh now, sons of Martians," Kab muttered. "Laugh when you see what I've done!" Then he laughed himself, long and loud, as his plan took effect... And the terrifying results were revealed.

_**_End of Chapter Twenty-Eight_**_


	29. An Evil Twist

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

_Chapter Twenty-Nine : _

_An Evil Twist_

Zack Vee never saw it coming. One moment he was flying into battle alongside his crewmates and the Alliance, and the next... He was gone. It took three charged shots to take him down... He'd worked on the old Arwing's shields himself... But the third shot broke through the cockpit, and he was dead before the ship exploded.

Mac Banno had no expression on his face, as he let go of the gun controls. He appeared as docile as if he had just turned the page of a book he was reading... A rather dull book, at that. From the cockpit, El Boton let out a surprised yell.

"What the %$# did you do?!?" he screamed, leaning around the pilot's seat, and looking back toward his friend. "That was Zack!"

Mac calmly got to his feet, and turned toward El. Still he said nothing... He just stood there.

"What did you do?!?" El repeated, staring at him in disbelief.

"What I was told," Mac said quietly, raising a blaster pistol, and firing.

*****

Pablo G. Pym was horrified. He had been listening from inside the _NinsonX_, and heard the exchange between Mac and El. He heard the shot. Mac had gone insane... He'd murdered his teammates. He'd murdered his _friends_.

Shaking off the shock and pain, Pablo set his comm to the frequencies of all the flagships.

"Emergency!" he exclaimed. "One of my men just killed the other two, and is now piloting a ship you have marked on your radars as 'friendly'. That ship is the _Bolt Bucket_... It is an enemy, repeat, _it is an enemy_."

He paused, wincing at the pain he felt deep inside, then added something that popped into his mind.

"Beware of other possible traitors in our midst."

*****

_"Andrew? This is CT64... I can't get through to Captain O'Donnell..."_

"Neither can we," Andrew grunted, spiralling in and out of blaster fire. "But he must be okay... His ship is intermittently flickering on and off my radar screen. Not sure why... But, I can't get out of this dogfight to go back him up, yet."

_"I see. It's just that disturbing news has arisen... Captain Pym informed all flagships that one of his ships, the __**Bolt Bucket**__, has changed sides, and that there might be other traitors among us."_

"Holy crap, are you serious?!?" Andrew exclaimed, as Carlos blasted their opponent, and bought them a brief moment of respite.

_"Of course. This news must be relayed to Captain O'Donnell as soon as possible."_

"I'll try to get to him as soon as the masses give way," Andrew promised. "You'd better make sure everyone else knows about that ship being an enemy."

_"Affirmative."_

*****

Kain Frederick had been granted the choice to either join the battle, or stay behind flying equipment back and forth. There was little hesitation when he chose to fight.

So, flying for the Alliance with a squadron commanded by Queen Mandara, Kain found himself with plenty of excitement to make up for the long, tedious hours shuttling people and equipment about, for very little denari. This was war, and though he might die at any moment, he wouldn't have traded the chance to fight for anything.

_"All Alliance ships... The ship called the __**Bolt Bucket**__ is now your enemy. Repeat, the __**Bolt Bucket**__ is a traitor. Be wary of it's movements."_

Kain listened to the droid speaking over the comm link in surprise... A traitor? Well, this was war, after all. No one should be surprised by the fact that the enemy would have planted spies and double agents. He had no clue how unusual the circumstances were in this case, however.

*****

"Did I just hear him right?" Kay-Tee wondered aloud. "Mac is... Our enemy?"

_"That's what your droid said,"_ Falco interjected, tersely. _"Seems your friends weren't so trustworthy after all."_

Kay-Tee wanted to argue the point with him, but he didn't know how. Mac had, apparently, shot down Zack, and then killed his copilot El... This was so bizarre for the young Anthro-Avian to imagine, because he had worked with them all to stop the bomb countdown aboard what was now the _Great Wolfen_. Now two were dead, and another was a murderous traitor.

"Dox? You there?"

_"Yeah."_

"What do you think about this?" Kay-Tee asked, looping to get behind a Venomian craft.

_"Something about it bothers me... I mean, I can't put my finger on it, but I feel like I'm not remembering something important... Like some clue to what happened with Mac is right in front of me, and I just can't see it."_

"I know what you mean..."

_"Well, bird-brain, just hang in there... We need to keep fighting, find _

_the chief, and then get to the surface." _Dox paused, and Kay-Tee sensed a heaviness there. _"Andross is going down," _he said at length.

"Sure, Doxxy... Of course he is," he told his friend. And he almost believed him... Until the next domino fell.

*****

Arti had been being bothered by a strange sort of tingling in the back of his skull. It was annoying at first, and then outright discomforting. In such a heated space battle he needed to keep focused, but twice he had almost collided with other ships because of the distraction. Then... It went away. And everything was clear once more.

He rolled his ship to the side, executing a long, casual turn. The ships he had been fighting paid him little attention, simply because the _XV-88_ had shields that put most ships to shame, and there was weaker prey out there. Even his allies barely noted his long arcing maneuver, because they were much too busy.

Finally, finding himself nearing the _Great Wolfen_, Arti straightened his ship... And opened fire. Two bombs, and a series of charged shots, were all it took to destroy the navigational system, and put a massive dent in the shields. CT64 predictably threw up extra shields from reserve energy sources, but by then, Arti was flying away, and the damage was done. None of the Star Wolf members would have nav-maps to rely on, anymore.

_"All aircraft! This is the Great Wolfen! Nav-Systems are down! We have just been fired on by..."_ Droid he might be, but CT64 remembered how Arti had pieced him together again, and gave him a new life. _"...By one of our own. The __**XV-88 Destroyer Wolfen-Mech **__is a traitor... And an enemy."_

*****

A broken body... And a broken mind. He sometimes felt himself lose complete grip of reality, but always his main goal brought him back from the brink of darkness. Revenge.

He was different now. Nearly 70% of his body was synthetic, including half of his face. The doctors had offered to graft a skin that would seem almost normal over the metal parts and pieces, but he had refused... He needed the reminder, he had said. It gave him strength.

Although he was mostly borg, now, he was not a fit specimen... Some of the nerves and neurons necessary to control such sophisticated machinery had been destroyed in the crash. He would never be the same... But he would have his revenge.

"Are... *gasp*... You ready?" he wheezed into his comm link.

_"Of course. Everything has gone according to plan so far... Meet us at position 001-256-901."_

"On my... Way."

He hated that he wheezed and gasped for air. He hated that he didn't walk anymore, but scooted about in a hoverchair. He hated that he couldn't reclaim his life. But, he could still fly, and that was all he needed, now. That, and the destruction of team Star Wolf. The thought caused a glint in his one normal eye.

"I... *cough*... Am the great... Leon."

*****

"Kab, you are a &%$# genius." Of course the mad little man was talking to himself. It pleased him nonetheless to hear those words, and he believed them to be true. Oh, very true indeed.

He watched as the _Bolt Bucket_, the _XV-88_, and the _Chameleon _(Leon's ship had been rebuilt to look exactly as it had before the crash), joined him in a relatively quiet pocket of space, near the raging battle scene. His secret weapons had arrived.

"Leon Powalski, Mac Banno, Articerile Montague... Are you ready for the next phase?"

_"Of... Course, Kab... *cough*..."_

_"Yes."_

_"Yes."_

Kab grinned. Leon was there for revenge, and he was following Kab because he had been the one who found him crashed on that small moon. The other two were his greatest achievements. No one had suspected a thing, and the plan had worked perfectly. He only wished he could have seen the faces of his enemies when there friends turned on them.

"Those little brain implants worked $#% near superbly, didn't they, Mac and Arti?" he asked, snickering.

_"Yes."_

_"Yes."_

Of course. Simple replies from simple minds. And it had been so simple. Well, at least with Arti... Kab was able to take his time, inject the brainwave control device into his brain, and then make sure he lived. With Mac, it had been spur of the moment... But he had managed just as well with him. And now, they were under his complete control.

"Let's find the two Commanders... It's about &%$# time they both got what's coming to them."

*****

"No... Not Arti, it can't be," Dox murmured.

_"It's true,"_ CT64 replied.

_"Why Art Man do this? Mumbo no understand."_

"I'll find him," Dox declared. "Soon as I can figure out which way is

up... Where the heck am I? Ack! Man, almost ran right into that ship!"

_"That was me!"_

"Sorry, Andrew," Dox said. "Hey, Star Fox? Your nav-systems still up?"

_"Roger that," _the reply came in, from Slippy. _"It was only your flagship that was hit."_

"Think you could give us a hand getting through this mess?"

_"We're all on the same side, so I guess that means we have to help you,"_ Falco said, distastefully. _"I'll do what I can."_

_"We all will,"_ Krystal added.

"Come on," Dox murmured, under his breath. "We need you, chief."

*****

It was a game of cat and mouse... Well, cat and wolf... Actually, nevermind that. It was like an intricate dance. Wolf and Panther would each try to test the weakness of one another, making sudden moves, making feints, firing wildly, spinning, looping, and everything else they could think of.

And yet, after several long minutes, both were basically unscathed, and both were becoming frustrated. Panther's frustration had a tinge of nervous fear behind it, while Wolf's frustration stemmed from anger at wasting so much time... Time he could better spend taking down enemy ships, and then heading off to aid Thorne and Narl.

"Give up, Caruso, you're just putting off the inevitable," Wolf snarled.

_"I'm no longer taking orders from you, Wolf... This is my show now."_

Wolf rolled his eyes.

"Keep telling yourself that, while I send this bomb up your exhaust," he shot back. He'd said that on purpose, of course... And right on cue, Panther immediately looped away, firing his thrusters. Wolf laughed, and charged a shot, waiting for Panther to catch on.

_"Wait... You lied to me!"_

Panther was just coming back around, angry at himself for falling for that trick, when Wolf unloaded on him. Again, the shields took the brunt of it, but then he felt a heavy shudder, and saw flames burst from one wing. Wolf noted this as well, and grinned, as he looped clear of Panther's range.

_"You... You'll pay, O'Donnell! I swear it! I'll kill-"_

Wolf stiffened at the abrupt end to Panther's tirade, and the static that now filled his earpiece. He did a half loop, and saw with surprise that Panther's ship was a ball of flames! Seconds later it exploded completely, and Panther Caruso was no more.

"What? But that damage wasn't enough to... Wait..."

In front of Wolf were four ships... It was they who had killed Panther, he realized... And now they were coming toward him. If that weren't worrying enough, he recognized all four ships.

"The _Chameleon_... So Leon's alive. That's not a surprise." He paused, then with a sickening lurch of the stomach, mumbled, "Mac and El? And... No... Arti?!? You can't be my enemies..." A few shots of laser fire in his direction from them said otherwise. He spiraled quickly, then his eyes settled on the lead ship, and it all made sense. "Kab. You sonuvamartian."

The comm link's static finally cleared, and Kay-Tee's voice broke through.

_"Boss, if you can hear me, listen up! Mac killed El and Zack, and has switched sides! And... Arti..."_ The young pilot trailed off.

"I know, kid," Wolf said, looping around, and thrusting away from Kab's group. "They're with Kab. I don't get it... But I know. Try to get back to the _Great Wolfen_, and-"

_"Our navigation systems are shot, we're flying by instinct," _Andrew broke in. _"We need some breathing room in this fight, so we can see our way clear. The Star Fox guys are trying to be our eyes, but it's not doing much good. We need a plan."_

"On my way, but I'll be bringing trouble behind me," Wolf declared. "Be ready for anything."

_"We weren't ready for __**this**__,"_ Dox said quietly. _"We couldn't prepare for something like this."_

_"I knew this was a bad idea,"_ Bart muttered absently.

_"Watch where you're flying!" _Carlos yelled, as Bart nearly flew into

his ship.

_"Sorry, Wolf," _Fox spoke up. _"Betrayal's are never easy..."_

Wolf knew he was talking about that scum Pigma, and what happened to James McCloud. But deep down, he didn't buy that this was the same. Arti was his teammate, his friend... He wouldn't betray them! And yet... He had. But why? Well, Wolf intended to find out... Just as soon as he rallied his team together, and put an end to this battle.

*****

It had all went wrong. Right from the first charge. They had lost too many warriors just to get through the gates, and now, somewhere about halfway between Andross' palace, and the edge of Venomia City, the group was surrounded, and getting hammered relentlessly.

Thorne was dying... He had multiple wounds that the flimsy bandages could not come close to sealing. It was how he had always imagined his death, however... On the battlefield, wielding his lance, taking the enemy down with him. The only negative thought crossing his mind as he grew weaker was that his side was losing.

"Narl... Keep trying the General'sss comm until he ressspondsss..."

Narl was a young SharpClaw, at least by their standards, and he found it harder to accept that they were losing. And hard to accept that his uncle was dying.

"We will be victoriousss, I ssswear!" he said, kneeling by Thorne.

The older SharpClaw coughed, and gave a small nod.

"Ssstand and lead your troopsss," he said, very quietly. "The General will be here sssoon, and then the accursssed tyrant, Androssss, will die..." He coughed again, then whispered, "Be brave, Narl... Be a SssharpClaw." And then he died.

"Yesss, Uncle..." Narl murmured, and then got to his feet. He again tried Wolf's comm link, saying, "General, if you can hear thisss, we are under heavy assssault... We need assssissstance!" He paused, then added, "Thorne isss dead. I will avenge hisss death."

Then, without waiting for a reply, he bellowed to his troops, "SssharpClawsss! Humansss! Corneriansss!" The group was made up of the best of the Alliance's group troops, though not many were left. "We will not ssstand here and wait for death! We will march, and bring death to thossse that bar our way! For Sssauria... For Lylat... WE FIGHT!!!"

With a primal roar, every living member of the group charged forward, following Narl. Death was likely, but not feared... And even as one after another fell to the blasterfire of the enemies, they drew closer and closer to Andross' compound. Bodies piled up, blood spilled, and continuous explosions shook Venomia City, as Narl led the final charge to the front door of Lord Andross' home.

*****

"Ah... We have guests."

"Y-yes, it would s-seem so..."

"Why do you tremble, boy? Are you not proud to be by my side? Are you not glad that you were whisked off of Panther's ship, before he fell in battle? No doubt you would have died aboard a captainless flagship, before long."

Mafefe swallowed hard. He could barely stand to look at his new master.

"Of course I'm glad, my lord," he said, working hard to control his emotions. "I am in your debt."

"Yes, you most certainly are," Andross replied. "A debt that will soon be paid."

"What will you do about those Alliance fighters outside?" Mafefe inquired, trying to evade the debt paying comment.

"Nothing at all... If I had wished them dead, they would have been long ago," Andross informed him. "All over Venom, cities are being invaded by the Alliance... And though my men are making it look convincing, they are, slowly but surely, succeeding."

"But... Why?"

"Simple. I want them to be so close to victory that they can taste it. I want Wolf O'Donnell, Fox McCloud, and the other Alliance leaders, to land their ships, and aid their soldiers in breaking down the last walls. I want them all here..."

Mafefe felt he was pressing his luck, but asked again, "Why?"

"Because, boy, I intend to blow up the entire planet," Andross stated, matter-of-factly. "With the best the Alliance has to offer standing there thinking they have won."

Mafefe was shocked. Andross was utterly mad, he realized... Beyond what he or anyone else could have fathomed. His eyes began searching for the quickest exit, as he asked, "You would destroy your home planet, my lord?"

"This planet means nothing at all to me," Andross said, casually. "And besides... My scientists discovered that the Ancient Minister was being far to extravagant. He didn't need to destroy a star... There's more than enough energy in a single planet to open the doorway."

"Doorway?" Mafefe stopped looking for an exit, and stared openly at the mad would-be conqueror.

"To the fifth dimension... It is a universe filled with powers and beings unlike anything you could possibly imagine," Andross said, dreamily. "And it's also the location of the Tower of Time... Where all times do meet." With a grunt, Andross got up from his throne, and walked to an alcove, where the Golden Idol of Wannamakacasha sat.

"This will give me the final power I need," he murmured. "I will take my penultimate form, and greet the Alliance when they arrive... And then give them the shock of their lives." He laughed evilly, clutching the idol tightly to his chest. "My destiny is to rule all of time and space..."

Mafefe was inching toward the door that led out of Andross' private quarters. He turned, and placed his hand on the door. He was close, so close, to making his escape... And then he felt a painful blow land on the back of his head. The world spun, tilted, and went black... But he could still hear Andross laughing.

_**____________End of Chapter Twenty-Nine____________**_


	30. Venom Bound

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

_Chapter Thirty : Venom Bound_

"We're taking heavy blasterfire!"

"Strengthen the forward shields! Fire those turbolasers!"

"Direct hit!"

The command bridge of the _Jinnorian_ went dark, as the ship tipped ominously to the side, and warning sirens began going off. Gled Jinnore held on to his captain chair tightly, as his droid crew clattered together, and fell against control panels and vid-screens.

"Where's the auxiliary power?!?" he yelled.

One of the droids managed to pull itself up and enter a command into

a nearby terminal. With a shudder, the ship managed to right itself once more, and dim lights flickered on. The sirens continued sounding, however, and everyone could feel an unsettling vibration underfoot.

"Get us out of here, SCT1!"

A droid in the engine room responded over the ship's intercom,_ "I am giving it all that this ship has, Captain."_

"Sir, you must come quickly!" another voiced called.

Gled spun around to see one of the med-techs.

"I'm in the midst of fighting a war, I can't-" he started.

"It's your brother," the med-tech interrupted. "Part of the wall collapsed in the med ward, and he was buried!"

Gled leaped nimbly out of his chair, and followed the tech into the bowels of his struggling ship.

*****

_"I don't think so, Wolf..."_

"Listen to me, carrot brain, if you don't get us more ships up here now, this war is as good as over! We need to get to the surface, and you need to send in support that can help finish off this armada!"

Peppy was quiet for a moment, then said, _"You're sure that the Venomian armada commander is dead?"_

"I saw him die," Wolf stated. "And his men are rattled... Making mistakes... Not listening to the second-in-command! This is the perfect time to wipe them out! And once we control the airspace, it doesn't matter if I fail on the surface or not, eventually the planet will fall!"

_"All right, Wolf... I'll give the order. But you know what happens if this goes badly."_

"How could I forget?" Wolf snarled. "Wolf, out." He was circling the _Great Wolfen_, picking off any bogies dumb enough to come near it, while his team took a breather and tried to repair their nav-systems.

_"Wolf? I heard all of that..."_ It was Fox McCloud.

"Yeah, I figured..."

_"I'm with you on this one. As soon as the support teams arrive, Star Fox and Star Wolf will both head to the surface."_

"No time for that," Wolf countered. "You heard that message... The team in Venomia City was dropping like flies! We need to get down there now!"

_"And leave who in charge of this fight? The flagships are all taking damage, and the Alliance pilots and Rogue pilots are taking some notable losses!"_ Fox sounded aggrieved. _"We can't just abandon them with no leadership."_

"One flagship is still in relatively good shape," Wolf said. "Mine. We'll put together the three of the best leaders we have left aboard the _Great Wolfen_, and they can lead from there." He didn't add that they were the only three he felt he could trust with his ship...

_"Who?"_

"Pym, Dracone, and Mazza," Wolf replied quickly. Without waiting for Fox to comment, he opened his comm to P., Gil Dracone, and Icis Mazza's frequencies. "This is Wolf O'Donnell... Star Wolf and Star Fox have to head for the surface immediately. Gil, Pablo, Icis... You're now in charge of the armada, and will command from the _Great Wolfen_. The rest of our forces are en route... You have to survive until then. This is not a request, it's an order. Good luck."

_"I hope you know what you're doing,"_ Fox muttered, before comming his wingmates.

"Me too," Wolf said under his breath. He then opened the link to his teammates and said, "All right, boys... We're headed for the surface. CT64, Mumbo, Lazlo... You're going to have company. Pablo Pym, Gil Dracone, and Icis Mazza will be boarding shortly. They're in charge of the space battle, now."

_"Understood, Captain," _CT64 replied.

_"Okay?" _Lazlo replied, uncertainly.

_"Mumbo want to get new ship, and come too."_

"You'll be more help fixing the nav-system, manning the turbolasers, and protecting my flagship, shaman," Wolf said, smirking. "And as for the rest of you... We've got a long way to go-"

_"And a short time to get there,"_ Andrew interjected, in song.

On cue, as if somehow rehearsed, Kay-Tee and Dox joined him, singing, _"We're Venom bound, just watch ol' Star Wolf fly!"_

Wolf sighed, wearily.  
"Sometimes you guys worry me," he muttered. "Head out!" Still, he had to wonder if somewhere, behind that golden door (the one Wolf hadn't felt ready to open, months before), his old buddy Colonel "Snowman" Reed was laughing loud... He'd always had a song to sing, even with six bogies on his tail.

Shaking his head, Wolf spiraled away from the battle scene, heading down toward Venom, followed by Fox, Kay-Tee, Falco, Bart, Slippy, Dox, Krystal, and Andrew and Carlos.

*****

_"What do I do, sir?"_ Rider Storm asked.

"What you've _been _doing," Icis Mazza told him. "Keep your squadron moving, and keep the strafers off the flagships."

_"Should I make a run on their battlecruisers?"_

"We have another squadron working on that, you focus on the close quarters." Mazza clicked off the link, and glanced over at Gil Dracone and Pablo Pym. "I didn't want to tell the kid that all the ships we have left are right here, and we can't spare anyone to make a run on the cruisers."

"And if the cruisers make a run on us?" Pablo asked.

"If you believe in some all-powerful entity, better start praying to it now," Mazza declared.

Pym shrugged, but Gil nodded slightly, as he returned his attention to the nearby vid-screen. Under his breath he murmured, "And yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil..."

_"Mazza? Good news and bad news,"_ came SubDrag's voice over the comm system.

"Go on..."

_"Good news is, I'm joining the party. Bad news is, the ship is going down."_

"Oh, great... What about the crew?" Mazza asked worriedly.

_"They all boarded the cargo ship, and hyper-jumped as soon as _

_they cleared the hangar doors,"_ Sub replied. _"They made it out... Unlike a lot of others out here."_ He paused, then said, _"The __**Green Witch **__is ablaze."_

Icis entered a command into the terminal he was at, and a vid-screen came up, showing his ship. He sighed regretfully, then said into the comm, "Watch your back out there, old friend."

_"Will do, Mazza."_

*****

"Hey hey, you you, I don't like your girlfriend..." an off-key voice sang. The person paused, then said, "Wait, why am I singing _that?_" Mafefe shook his head, and stood up slowly, squinting in the darkness. "Where am I? What happened?" he wondered aloud.

"Seems you got on _his lordship'_s bad side," said a quiet voice off to the left. "Was it the singing?"

"No... Who are you?" Mafefe asked, unable to see the speaker.

"Bobby," the person replied. "I came here thinking Saint Dane was mixed up in the trouble here, but I've come to the conclusion that's not the case. I found out he's on another territory, and I need to get out of here quick... Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity."

"You're chasing a dog around the galaxy?" Mafefe said, incredulously. "Nevermind, I don't care... Maybe we can work together to get out of here."

"Any ideas? I'm fresh out."

"Yes, I think so," Mafefe told him. "If we both pretend to be in terrible pain, the guards should open the door to check on us... If we're waiting on either side of the door, since it's so dark, we should be able to dart past them."

"I'm willing to try anything," Bobby said.

Mafefe's mind shot fiercely to his father, and he allowed himself a

moment to hate Kab for not coming back, for not rescuing him... For putting his stupid plan above his own son. Then he controlled his emotions, and got to work pretending to be ill... Revenge could come later.

*****

"So, they're heading off to face Andross, eh?" Kab remarked, smirking. "Well, why don't we join them?"

_"What... *cough*... Do you have... In mind?"_ Leon inquired.

"We want both sides of this war defeated, do we not?" Kab responded. "How better to handle this than making sure that Andross, Wolf, and Fox all die in the same place, at the same time? It will be so &%# fun."

_"I like... It..."_ Leon grunted.

"Yes, I thought-"

_"Fun."_

_"Good."_

"Oh, shut up, you two mindless zombies," Kab snapped. "I tire of your boring, one-word %$#& sentences." Shaking his head, and deciding he would much enjoy instructing them to kill one another after this was all over, Kab set a course for Venomia City, following Star Wolf and Star Fox.

*****

"Keep digging, he might still be alive!" Gled Jinnore yelled to the droids and med-techs. "We have to get him out!"

His crew diligently kept digging through the debris, the work slow going due to the electrical components short circuiting and sparking all around them.

Gled paced nervously, in the partially ruined hallway. He couldn't lose his brother... And yet, his ship was falling apart around him, and he was risking the lives of his crew. Gled knew that he couldn't wait too long before returning to the command bridge.

"Sir, I think we found him! Oh my-"

Gled rushed forward, shoving the crew aside, and then stopped short, eyes wide.

"Grye... What... This can't be..." he murmured. "This can't be..."

*****

"We're almost above Venomia City," Wolf announced. "Start descending through the cloud layer now."

As one, the group of ships broke through the yellow clouds, and before them appeared Venomia City. Chaos seemed to have broken out. Smoke billowed from several buildings, and the wrecks of a few ground assault vehicles... Small groups of people were darting to and fro... And a clear path, dotted with bodies, fire, and detritus, led the way right through the main gates of Andross' compound.

_"Looks like they made it inside!"_ Kay-Tee exclaimed. _"Maybe our job is going to be simple after all."_

_"Don't count your eggs before you lay them, birdbrain,"_ Dox countered. _"Chief? What do we do? Circle the compound, or land?"_

Wolf thought for a moment, as they drew nearer to the compound.

"We need to draw Andross out," he said, at length. "We don't know what he's capable of. In the past he's done some remarkable things... And now he's got powers unlike anything he's had before." He paused, then said, "I'd rather take him on out here, if at all possible."

_"I can go down and check things out," _Dox offered, a bit too quickly.

Wolf frowned, wondering what he hoped to accomplish.

"We'll take a team in," he said. "Me, Fox, Bart, Falco, Carlos, and... Kay-Tee." He heard Dox begin to protest, but hurriedly went on. "The rest of you stay up here... Andrew and Krystal are in charge until I get back, which hopefully won't be too long. Then-"

_"I'm getting an incoming message from... Inside the compound,"_ Krystal interrupted. _"It's not one of the Alliance's link signals, either... Should I patch them through?"_

"It could be an ally using a different comm unit," Wolf reasoned. "Yeah, patch them through to my link."

*****

It had been easier than he'd thought. The guard had flung open the door and stepped inside. Mafefe leaped through the door, while Bobby kicked the guard in the stomach, elbowed him in the back of the head, shoved him deeper into the room, and then exited, pulling the door shut behind him.

"Nice... Where'd you learn to fight like that?" Mafefe asked.

"Zadaa," Bobby replied. "Look, I have to make tracks, and you'd better do the same... Good idea back there, though. Thanks."

"Sure..." Mafefe said, shrugging. He watched as Bobby gave him a wave, then dashed away down the hallway, before ducking into another room. As Mafefe turned to run the other way, he thought he heard the faint tinkling of musical notes, but it was over as quickly as it had begun.

"I have to get out of here," he chided himself for pausing, as he dashed down the corridor. He quickly figured out where he was, as he had studied and memorized most of the layout map of the compound some weeks before. As he ran by a window, though, something caught his eye, and he skidded to a stop. Fire, smoke, and ships circling overhead... Familiar ships.

Reaching down, Mafefe was amazed to find that he still had his comm link... He quickly decided that the guard must have been a moron, and he wasted no time beaming a signal toward the circling ships. A moment later, he was patched through.

_"O'Donnell here... Who is this?"_

"Mafefe," he replied. "And before you cut me off, listen to what I have to say..."

*****

Wolf gritted his teeth impatiently.

"Say it quick, punk," he snarled. "I ain't got all day."

_"I just escaped a prison cell... Andross had me tossed in there because I learned too much, and was trying to get away."_

"Why should I believe you?" Wolf wanted to know.

_"Because you have to, O'Donnell! Andross is planning on getting you and the rest of your forces either on, or clustered around, Venom, and then blowing this planet to kingdom come."_

"Yeah, right... Supposing that was true, why is he doing that?"

_"To harness the energy, and create a portal in the fifth dimension," _

Mafefe explained, quickly. _"My father stole the information that the Ancient Minister had, and brought it to Andross. He found a way to do it with a planet instead of a star! He plans to enter the fifth dimension and corrupt all of time and space."_

"Your father stole the information..." Wolf echoed. "Your dad is... Kab?"

_"Yes, the selfish lunatic... He abandoned me here so he could begin his secret plan to destroy both sides of the war. He said I was to be there by his side, but then he just leaves me!"_

Wolf shook his head.

"Look, maybe you're lying, and maybe you're telling the truth, but the way I see it, nothing has changed," he said. "I plan on taking the fight directly to Andross, and killing him myself. And as long as I keep him grounded, he won't start any bomb countdown timer... You agree, Fox?"

_"I guess so, Wolf... But I wouldn't put it past Andross to blow up the planet with himself on it, if it meant killing us. Still, I think you're right, we need to draw him out, and take him on."_

"All right," Wolf said. "Delta Team, let's set down, and get into the compound." He paused, then said, "Mafefe? You get the heck outta there... Go find a quiet place to hole up until this is over."

_"No way, I want protection! I want-"_

Wolf rolled his eyes as he cut off the connection, and he and the Delta Team chose the spot they wanted to land. It was on the roofs of some low-level buildings, not far from the compound. They were relatively well hidden by the larger buildings all around.

Since Carlos wasn't 100%, it was decided he would remain in the _Renegade_, using the ship's guns to guard the other ships, in case any Venomian soldiers happened by, while the others scouted the area from the sky. Bart grudgingly turned his ship over to Andrew, who returned to the skies.

Just as Wolf and the others began dropping down to ground level, however, a small figure darted toward them. Wolf came within a split second of fragging the person with his blaster, but stopped short.

"I told you to scram, punk!" he exclaimed.

"I want protection!" Mafefe shouted back. "I gave you valuable information!"

Wolf glared at him, but finally pointed up toward the ships.

"One of my men is up there guarding the ships," he said, through clenched teeth. "Go wait with him." Pulling out his comm, Wolf said, "Carlos? Looks like you'll have some company... Yeah, the informant. Make sure you watch him carefully."

Without another word, Wolf and the others headed off toward the compound, while Mafefe clambered up the side of the building.

"Look at all the bodies," Fox said, regretfully, as they made their way stealthily down the street. "SharpClaws, Cornerians, Terrans, Sullustans..."

"Oh no!" Kay-Tee exclaimed suddenly. "Bluett!"

Everyone turned in surprise as the Anthro-Avian darted out into the open, coming to a stop by a prone form. Wolf quickly followed him, and kept watch while Kay-Tee examined the body.

"It _is _him... He's... Dead," he murmured, forlornly. "How'd he get here, though?"

Wolf glanced down, and pointed at the Alliance patch on Bluett's jacket.

"He joined the cause, kid," he said. "Seems like he wanted to make up for his mistakes..."

"Now he's gone... Forever..."

"Yeah... But we're not dead yet, kid... This thing can still be won. Let's go." Wolf took him by the shoulder, and steered him back toward the others, and they continued on.

*****

_"You can't go down there!"_ Andrew stated. _"Wolf said we should stay airborne, and that's that."_

"Sabes que, I don't care, I have a mission to complete," Dox snapped

back.

_"Mission to complete, right... You just feel left out!"_ Krystal interjected. _"So do I, but I accepted my orders... You'd better do the same."_

Dox bit back salty language (that would have raised the rating of this fic from T to M), and said, "I have the ability to make a difference down there... I can do it, I can stop Andross! They might not be able to without me!"

_"Fox has handled Andross in the past... With him and Wolf working together, it shouldn't be that hard."_

"Because you're such a _veteran _when it comes to war," Dox said to Krystal sarcastically. "And besides, this is a different Andross... A new Andross. A _dark _Andross. The old style of fighting him isn't going to work, I just know it!"

No one said anything for a moment, until Slippy said, _"I agree, actually... Using our past victories as confidence is just asking to knocked down a peg or two. We need to think like we're facing Andross for the first time, like it's our first war."_

Everyone remained silent, this time mostly because they had never heard Slippy speak so intelligently. But Dox didn't need to hear anything more.

"I'm going down," he announced. "You'll have to shoot me down to keep me from doing this."

No one tried to stop him, but Andrew murmured, _"Wolf's going to kill me..."_

*****

"The entrance is just ahead," Wolf murmured. "I think we should-"

A terrific explosion cut him off, as they all tumbled backwards in a heap! Wolf and Fox quickly scrambled up, and stared at Andross' compound, which was now a burning pile of rubble. A huge, shadowy figure rose from the smoke.

"That thing must be twenty feet tall..." Kay-Tee muttered, as he and the others got to their feet as well.

"But what is it?" Wolf wondered aloud. "A robot of some sort? Or maybe a giant from Haarfang?"

Just then, maniacal laughter met their ears, so loud and deep that it caused the ground to tremble. It was _familiar _maniacal laughter, at that... Very familiar.

"Oh, great," Fox said, shaking his head.

Andross stepped out of the rubble, through the smoke, and finally into

view... The sight was enough to cause them all to take a step back, and for Kay-Tee to gasp.

He was around eighteen feet tall... And he still looked rather like the Andross of old, except for a few minor differences. Twisted horns grew out of his skull, his eyes were glowing yellow, he had talons like a bird instead of hands, and instead of feet he now had hooves. He wore the tattered remains of a cloak, which did little to hide his bestial form... It was like seeing the amalgamation of an ape, a raven, a minotaur, and a body builder (who was eighteen feet tall). Other than that, same old Andross. (*cough*)

"Sonuvamartian," Wolf mumbled.

"What is that thing?" Falco asked, though the answer was obvious.

"The new Andross," Fox said simply.

"You realize, I want _quadruple _pay if we live through this, right?" Bartimaeus tossed in.

"Come, heroes... Try to destroy me! Try to save the universe now!" Andross bellowed, taking a huge step forward.

Wolf pulled his blaster out, thumbed it to the highest setting, and glanced back at his comrades. Seeing Kay-Tee, he said, "Get out of here, and comm the others... We'll try to put a dent in him until we get some air support. Then, when we get an opening, we'll get our ships, too." Turning to Fox he said, "Good thing you learned how to fight outside a ship, too. Let's go!"

And so the battle began... The _next-to-last_ battle...

_**____________End of Chapter Thirty____________**_


	31. Penultimate Battle pt1

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

_Chapter Thirty-One : _

_Penultimate Battle, part 1_

"What's the plan, Fox?" Falco wanted to know. "Our blasters aren't putting a dent in Frankendross."

Fox peered over the remains of a wall, then quickly ducked as a huge chunk of masonry flew overhead, heaved by Andross. It missed them, barely, and smashed into the smoldering wreckage of an assault vehicle.

"I don't know," Fox admitted. "Wolf?"

Wolf was still leaning in and out, taking shots at Andross, but the amalgam monster seemed immune to them. Finally, Wolf turned back to the others and said, "We don't have a choice... We wait for the air support, and then make tracks for our own ships." He then mumbled under his breath, "If we live that long."

Just then, Bartimaeus appeared, returning from testing his invisible form on Andross.

"Good news and bad news," he said, wiping sweat from his brow. "The good news is, he still can't see me."

Another chunk of masonry flew by, as Fox asked, "What's the bad news?"

"Apparently, he can _sense _me," Bart replied, making a face. "He nearly nailed me with a rock."

Wolf fired another shot, this time ricocheting it off of a steel girder to Andross' left, hoping to make him think he was being fired on from different locations. Then he glanced at Bart and said, "So much for stealth..."

"I tried... Where the spell are the others?"

Just then, a high whirring sound came from over head, followed by the sound of laser cannon fire. Looking up, the Delta Team saw that the remaining members of teams Star Wolf and Star Fox had arrived!

They flew in formation, and laid down a steady stream of blasterfire on Andross and the ground around him. Andrew, who was last in line, sent a smart bomb right into the center of the cloud of dust they had formed, hoping to finish off his uncle. Then the ships looped, and thrusted away.

Wolf and the others dropped to the ground, and covered their heads, as the bomb went off. Small buildings, damaged walls, and various piles of debris were vaporized, but the area where they were hiding was relatively unscathed. Wolf wiped the dirt out of his eyes as he stood, and waited for the area to clear, so he could see what happened to Andross.

A minute passed, and then the result was clear.

"Hahahaha... So predictable," Andross said, grinning evilly, completely unharmed. "You'll have to do better than that!"

"Oh crap," Falco said.

"There's the understatement of the century," Bart said, as they took off running for their ships, with debris flying overhead once more.

*****

"Mac, Articerile, and Leon... We are going to play the spoilers in Star Wolf and Star Fox's game."

_"Just... *cough*... The four... Of us?"_ Leon grunted.

"You forget," Kab replied, "That you are following Kab Lamooie, the greatest $%# evil mind in the galaxy. I have another surprise for O'Donnell and McCloud, heh heh heh..." He entered a command into his onboard computer display, and then cackled happily. "Look to the east, Powalski, my pieced together comrade..."

There was a brief pause, and then Leon coughed a few times. Finally he spoke again, somewhat excitedly.

_"Good... Show! We'll fry these... *cough*... Freaks in no... Time!"_ he declared.

Kab laughed darkly.

"You've got that &%$ right, Leon... Those sons of Martians will never see it coming!" he exclaimed. Then he and his team, recently entitled team Star Kab, thrusted forward to engage their enemies in battle.

*****

"I am picking up distress signals from all over Venom, sir," CT64 said. "All the ground squads are meeting with heavy resistance, and need assistance."

Pablo nodded, and sighed.

"I know," he said. "And Icis has been trying to explain that to Corneria, but the bigshots won't listen... They're pinning all their hopes on Wolf and Fox, and couldn't care less about the men and SharpClaws dying by the dozens in each of the major cities of Venom... And they don't want to risk the lives of the men they think they'll need to protect their own cities."

Gil looked over at him, noting his anger.

"As soon as the reinforcements arrive to turn the tide up here, perhaps we can spare some ships to aid the ground squads," he suggested.

"Yeah, maybe," Pablo agreed. "And if we can't spare any ships, I'll just take the _NinsonX_ and go down there myself."

Gil grinned, and said, "I'll follow in the _Dragon's Breath_."

"Look alive, people, looks like we have incoming squadrons!" Icis Mazza called out.

"The backup?"

"Negative, Captain Pym," CT64 responded. "It seems to be yet another wave of the Venomian Armada."

The three captains grimly exchanged glances, and then Mazza opened the comm to all channels and said, "Defensive formations! We have more enemies coming..."

_"More? We can't handle what we've got now!" _Bill Grey remarked.

_"We're barely keeping the numbers even as it is," _Rider Storm added. _"How can we last against even greater odds?"_

"We just have to last until the reinforcements arrive," Pablo told them. "General Hare promised to make something happen soon..." Under his breath he muttered, "And he'd better come through, or someone's going to be hossenfeffer!"

Gil smirked.

"You've been talking to Wolf too much," he said, chuckling.

*****

"Okay, the ships are dead ahead, so get in quick before Andross has a chance to damage them," Wolf instructed. He looked up toward the low building they were parked on, then said, "Looks like Kay-Tee's already going up." The _Kazolfen _could be seen rising into the sky above them.

Just then, groaning was heard. Wolf exchanged a glance with Fox, and then they all sprinted forward, and clambered up the side of the building. To their surprise, they saw Kay-Tee laying flat, seemingly unconscious, and Carlos beside him, holding onto what looked like a leg wound.

"What happened?" Wolf demanded.

"It was that punk kid, Mafefe," Carlos said, eyes glinting. "He was sitting outside my ship watching the sky, and then suddenly he started groaning and moaning like he'd been hurt... I came out to see what was up, and he jumped up, snatching my gun from the holster! I wish I could've smashed that sonuva-"

"Then what happened?" Fox interrupted.

"Well, he told me to stay where I was, then he started backing toward the _Kazolfen_," Carlos went on, calming himself slightly. "Said he needed to borrow it... About then Kay-Tee clambered up, saying we had to get airborne pronto. Mafefe jumped out from beside the _Kazolfen_, and clouted Kay-Tee with the gun. I lunged for him, but he shot me in the leg... It only grazed me, though."

"And now he's gone, in one of our ships," Wolf muttered, disgustedly, as Falco gave Kay-Tee a shake that brought him to. Wolf leaned down to check his head. "You all right, kid?"

"I... Think so," the young Anthro-Avian said slowly. "My head hurts, though..."

"You get in the _Renegade _with Carlos and Bart," Wolf instructed him. "Everyone else, get to your own ship... We don't have much time."

"By the way, Andrew's been trying to comm you," Carlos told him, as he and Bart helped Kay-Tee aboard (Bart still grumbling about losing his ship to Andrew, but his words fell on deaf ears... They'd had to use the _Renegade_, because it was the only one with cannons that could protect the ships on the ground).

Wolf switched on his comm, and said, "Andrew? Wolf here, what is it?" As he talked he hurried over and jumped into his ship.

_"Boss! I've been trying to tell you for ten minutes!"_ Andrew exclaimed. _"Dxxzzzttttsspppllssshhh..."_

"Hold on, wait until I'm up there, something's interfering," Wolf ordered. Moments later he and the others were rising into the open skies. "All right, try again, Andrew."

_"DOX WENT DOWN TO FACE ANDROSS!!!"_

"He... Did... What?!?" Wolf growled each word. "Oh, sonuvamartian..."

_"We can't go back down, we need to take Andross from the sky,"_ Fox told him.

"I know, &%$# it, you don't have to remind me!" Wolf thundered. "Just try not to shoot the fool if he's down at Andross' feet running around like an idiot!" He tried Dox's comm, but found it off. Though he knew he couldn't hear him, he muttered, "Dox, if you get yourself killed playing hero, I'll rip you to shreds."

"You care about him more than you want to admit, don't you? All of them, really... Mumbo, Kay-Tee... Even Andrew, Lazlo, and CT64."

"What the... Oh, you! Get out of my ship!" Wolf exclaimed.

"I'm not in your ship, I'm in your head at the moment," Josh told him. "More accurately, I'm using telepathy to speak to you."

"I don't care if you're using tin cans and string," Wolf shot back. "I'm too busy to have you shrink my head right now. I've got to fight Andross!"

"Andross isn't your only trouble," Josh countered. "Try looking east, the direction that the _Kazolfen _headed... This is only just beginning."

Wolf grudgingly followed the messenger's advice, and his good eye

widened in surprise.

"As if Andross wasn't enough," he muttered. "Who-"

"You'll find out soon enough," Josh interrupted. "I need to bring something else to your attention... Remember how the bomb didn't even phase Andross? Go back by where he was standing when it hit, and take a look. It'll make sense if you do..."

"Why can't you just tell me?" Wolf complained. He got no answer, however... He was alone once more. Sighing, he keyed the comm. "Looks like we've got a couple dozen ships coming from the east. Take a defensive position... I'm going to loop by Andross, and check something."

_"A couple dozen ships?!?"_ Andrew exclaimed. _"Good grief! Who is _

_it?"_

"Actually, the lead ships look familiar," Wolf said, before he thrusted away. He paused, then his stomach tightened. "Kab. Arti. Mac. Leon. And... About twenty of their friends." He sighed again. "I'll be right back."

*****

_"Incoming transmission from approaching ship... Patch in?"_

Kab didn't know if it was Arti or Mac who asked him that, so monotone were their voices of late, but he said, "Go ahead... One lone Star Wolf ship isn't a threat, so maybe they want to talk peace."

_"I... Say blast them... *cough*... Now..."_

"I give the &%$# orders, Powalski," Kab countered. "Arti... Or, Mac... Patch them through." He waited a moment, and then said, "Approaching ship, state your name and reason for approaching, or you'll be destroyed."

_"Hello, Father."_

Kab gasped slightly in surprise.

"Mafefe?!? How can this be?" he asked.

_"I gave Star Wolf some information in exchange for protection, but as soon as they left me alone, I stole a ship..."_ Mafefe paused, then said, _"I know you expected me to be in the compound, still... In Lord Andross' clutches."_

"I was going to come for you as soon as we had dealt with Star Wolf and Andross," Kab quickly explained. "I knew you could take care of yourself until then, and look at you... You've made me &%# proud, son. Now... Let's go take down our enemies!"

_"Lead the way, Father. I'm right behind you."_

*****

"Ah, crap," Kain Frederick muttered, as the new wave of Venomian ships drew nearer. "Kain to Alliance command, do you read me?"

_"We've got you, Kain,"_ came Gil Dracone's voice. _"Go ahead."_

"We're in deep bantha droppings out here... My ship's shields are almost history, and I'm not the only one with that problem... If we don't think of something other than direct attack, we're going to be antimatter in minutes."

_"Any ideas? We're fresh out at the moment,"_ Pablo Pym remarked.

"Yeah... I've got an idea," Kain answered, just as one began to take shape in his mind. "The _Bloody Rose_ is the base of operations for the Venomian ships... They keep flying back to it, knowing we can't get too close or it's turbolasers will fry us, and, on top of that, it keeps belching out more ships."

_"And...?"_

"And, if something happened to that ship, it would be a big blow to them, right?"

_"True."_

"And... Say we came at them with every ship we have left, the last flagships, the cargo ships, and every fighter... They'd probably circle back to the _Bloody Rose_, to make us split up, and avoid the turbolasers, agreed?"

_"Where are you going with this, pilot?"_ Icis Mazza asked, not seeing the point.

"Just this, sir," Kain replied. "If they go and cluster around their base of operations, and it suddenly, say, exploded... Well, we could clean the results up with a broom and dustpan."

There was a long pause, then Mazza came back on.

_"I like it," _he said._ "But the plan needs tweaking. If this is going to work, you need two runs... One to force them back, and let someone get to the __**Bloody Rose **__to plant the explosive. Assuming someone could do that, rather they survived or not, by that time the enemy'd be charging back... Which means another charge by our forces, to drive them back."_

"Yes, that's true, sir," Kain agreed.

_"And we'd need some sort of major explosive,"_ Pablo added, doubtfully. _"That ship's huge..."_

_"Err... I may have something that could work," _Gil said, coughing slightly. _"I picked up a prototype bomb on Titania, recently... It's stored on the __**Dragon's Breath**__ right now, actually. It's extremely powerful, or so the, err, dealer said. If we used it in just the right spot, it could do the trick."_

_"What spot?"_ Mazza inquired, ignoring issues of legality.

_"Preferrably the ship's power source,"_ Pablo said._ "Which, if I'm not mistaken, would be upper rear of the ship, between the communication tower and the bridge."_

_"Give me a few men, and I'll take it in myself,"_ Gil announced.

"I'm with you, sir," Kain spoke up immediately.

_"I think Bill and Rider are your other best choices,"_ Pablo said.

_"But they're two of our main squad leaders,"_ Mazza argued. _"Not to mention Gil. If they were all to be shot down, we'd have a much smaller chance of surviving the next wave."_

_"If we don't try pulling off a miracle, like this plan, we won't survive even with them," _Pablo countered, sternly.

There was another pause, as Mazza apparently nodded grudgingly and walked away to organize the charges, and then Gil spoke again, saying, _"Kain, get ready... I'll be out there momentarily, and I'll comm Bill and Rider on my way."_

"Yes, sir," Kain replied. He looped his ship away from the action, taking another look at the advancing ships, before heading toward the _Great Wolfen_, to watch for Gil and the others. He took a deep breath, and prayed his plan was a good one. "It has to be," he murmured. "It's all we've got..."

*****

"What am I looking for?" Wolf asked himself aloud. "All I see is burning debris, collapsed walls, and a villain even Nintendo wouldn't use as a boss. What am I missing?"

He circled again, deciding to look once more before returning to his troops, and facing Star Kab. His eye and eyepiece scanned the area around Andross again. He was about curse Josh for wasting his time, when suddenly he saw something very strange.

"Why is that wall circular?" he muttered. "Son... of... a... Martian. He isn't using magic to protect himself!" Wolf yelled into his comm link, "McCloud! He's shielded!"

_"What? Who?"_

"Andross! He's carrying shields!"

_"Which means..."_

"He's not using some magic spell to make him invincible," Wolf finished.

_"And, he's got something on him generating the shields..."_ Fox added. _"A power source as well."_

"Right... I think we might have an idea of how to deal with Andross, now," Wolf said. "But first, let's deal with Kab."

_"7 to 25 is pretty stiff odds, Wolf..."_

"This from the only guy to score as high as me on the Asteroid Run in

the academy... The only one crazy enough to follow my lead, and squeeze between those last two rocks, each about the size of Endor."

Fox was quiet for a moment, and then said, _"Did you just have a __**good **__memory from the past?"_

There was a pause... And then a cough.

"Don't spread it around," Wolf grumbled. He then opened his comm to all Star Wolf and Star Fox ships. "All right, boys... And Krystal... Look alive. We've gotta make short work of Kab and his group. Those droid ships will go down fast, but the others will be tricky."

_"What about Arti and Mac?"_ Andrew wanted to know.

"Try to disable their ships _without _blowing them to bits," Wolf told him. "But, all of you, hear this... If it's your life or theirs... Take them down. _Whatever it takes_."

Their was a half-hearted smattering of acknowledgments, and then Wolf added, "We need to get through them, and back to Andross, as quick as possible. If he thinks he's got a clear path, he might just set that big bomb of his and beat it. We need to keep him grounded."

_"Anything else?"_ Bart asked, sarcastically._ "Maybe you want us to deliver some pizzas, too?"_

"No, but when we get out of here, you can buy me one with ham and pineapple," Wolf replied. "Let's go! And... Stay frosty, everyone."

And with that, team Star Force (which Andrew had earlier decided to call their blended teams) shot forward to take on their enemies... Two of which they still considered friends.

*****

Gil cracked his knuckles, wiggled his fingers, and then grasped the controls of his ship. He was hovering outside the _Great Wolfen_ with Bill Grey, Rider Storm, and Kain Frederick... He had the prototype bomb ready to jettison when need be... And Mazza and Pablo were gathering all of the Alliance ships to play chicken with the quickly approaching Venomian Armada.

"Ah, what fun," Gil said, feigning amusement.

_"Not sure how fun I find it, sir,"_ Rider remarked.

_"After a couple dozen of these shindigs, you begin to realize that keeping a lighter frame of mind can help in tense situations,"_ Bill told him.

_"Beats freezing up at the last minute,"_ Kain agreed.

"That's the right attitude, men... Let's treat this like a Kessel run." Gil paused, then said, "Or... Something of similarly dangerous, yet exciting, quality... With perhaps a touch more... _Legality_."

The others chuckled, as Pablo came on the comm.

_"All right, the first run is about to begin," _he said._ "Gil, you and your men stay right with us, and then thrust in low to get in there... Try to blend in if possible, or hide behind some of the cruisers to avoid being spotted."_

_"But get that bomb ready before we make our second run, and try your best to be ready to get the hailfire out of there when we do," _Icis threw in.

"Understood," Gil replied. "Omega Squad will get the job done."

_"Good luck..."_ Lazlo told them. _"I hope you succeed, because I want to live."_

"As do we all, little friend," Gil said. "On your mark, Mazza..."

_"Alliance pilots... Ready... Forward!"_

And... The plan was executed... A plan that many of them would not survive.

*****

"What the heck am I doing? I'm really losing my mind... This is nuts. Crazy. Might as well call me Psycho Dox." Dox shook his head, and peered around the partial wall, taking another look at Andross. "Talking to myself... That's great. Perfect." He took a deep breath, and then ran out into the open, heading straight for Andross.

Booming laughter echoed all around him, as the hideous amalgam monster spied him.

"What is this? A lone warrior? You dare to confront _me_?" Andross laughed again. "How amusing."

Dox skidded to a stop some three hundred yards from Andross.

"That's right!" he yelled. "I dare to confront you... And I'm going to take you down, too!" He swallowed hard, and added in a somewhat quieter voice, "You just wait and see..." And then he squeezed the pin tightly in his hand.

*****

"Here they come," Kab said, grinning. "They'll be sorry they ever looked down on Kab Lamooie! Oh, yes, the sons of Martians will wish they'd begged me to let them join my team... A team that will soon rule the galaxy!" He laughed evilly, and then added, "Mafefe, Leon, Arti, Mac, and my droids... Let's kill the &%$# '_heroes'_."

_**____________End of Chapter Thirty-One____________**_


	32. Penultimate Battle pt 2

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

_Chapter Thirty-Two : _

_Penultimate Battle, part 2_

It went wrong so quickly... One second they were on the offense, and the next, they were merely prey. From behind every cruiser, every flagship, every piece of space junk, came dozens and dozens of more Venomian ships. They were everywhere. Everywhere they turned... Every direction. And all they could do was press on.

"The shields are failing," CT64 announced, though it was unnecessary... All those onboard the _Great Wolfen _knew that it was taking a severe hammering. Mumbo and Pablo were each manning a turbolaser cannon, and Icis Mazza was directing the other Alliance ships as well he could. But it was instantly obvious that their chances of survival had plummeted.

"Revert backup power to the secondary rear shields, and the main starboard shields!" Mazza yelled out. "Those two are the most crucial right now..." He paused, then said, "Pablo, make a hole for the Omega Squad... As big as you can."

_"We're trying," _was the tense reply he got from the cannon pods.

Mazza stared out the front viewscreen, shaking his head slowly. Dozens of their men had been dead within the first few seconds... Including his oldest and best friend, SUB36. There was no warning, no fanfare... He was simply gone.

"Have you been able to raise the _Jinnorian_?" he asked, turning to Lazlo, who was at one of the comm stations.

"A droid answered," Lazlo replied. "It said that something had happened to one of the Jinnore brothers, and the other was taking it hard... Apparently he's in a state of shock."

"They're moving back, away from the conflict," CT64 added.

Icis shook his head again, clenching his hands into fists.

"Victim after victim, falling at the hands of an evil tyrant," he muttered. "When will it end?"

*****

_"They're everywhere!"_

_"I can't shake him!"_

_"Help me! Aaaahhhhrrrgh!"_

_"Noooooo!!!"_

_"This is Zafar Gamir, I need assistan-ARGH!"_

_"Aaaacckk!"_

Gil Dracone did his best to block out the sounds of fear and death, as he worked to make it to his target in one piece. It was hard... Very hard... But he had no choice.

"K. Fred, Bill, Rider? Are you still with me?"

_"Yes, sir... Barely."_

_"10-4, Gil..."_

Gil waited a moment, then said, "Rider? Rider Storm, come in! Answer me!" But silence was all he heard. He sighed, then gritted his teeth and said, "Keep with me Omega Two and Omega Four... We have to pick up the pace."

_"Understood, Omega One..."_

_"Right with you."_

The Alliance ships were doing their best to make a hole for the Omega Squad, but the surprise attack had generated so much chaos that it was almost impossible to head straight for the _Bloody Rose_. They could barely keep sight of one another, as proven by Rider's disappearance, let alone coordinate a direct route through the maelstrom.

"Follow me if possible, but if you lose sight of me, just head for the target as well as you can," Gil instructed. Without waiting for a response, he barrel rolled to the left, looped, and then thrusted through a gap in the clamoring ships.

*****

"Bart, get over there and cut off Arti! Lombardi, loop away from Leon! McCloud, Krystal's taking some hits over there!" Wolf paused to gasp in a breath, and take stock of his own situation. He was currently being shadowed by at least five bogies... One of which he was almost positive was Kab, and he thought Mafefe might be right with his father. The others were probably droids, judging by their lack of reaction, yet accurate firing.

Wolf was a team leader... He was responsible for all of this, or so he thought, and it was up to him to make sure they not only lived, but succeeded. It didn't matter if he took a few shots, or even bought it... So long as the mission was a success, and everyone else survived. Even Fox.

"Downward spin, McCloud!" he exclaimed, thrusting forward to fend off what seemed to be a kamikaze run at Fox. The ship in question, which Wolf realized was Mac Banjo's ship, took a few hits then looped away.

_"Thanks, Wolf."_

"Yeah."

Wolf did a quick half loop, and then thrusted again, managing to take down a few droid ships as he raced by. Kab was still right with him, firing closer and closer to him with each try. The droid pursuers lost him briefly, then a couple of them managed to latch back on as well.

"These guys sure are sticky," Wolf muttered.

_"I think we've managed to cut the droid numbers in half,"_ Slippy announced. _"But according to readouts, we're all rapidly losing shield power... I don't know how long we can hold out!"_

_"It's not the droids that're the trouble,"_ Andrew added. _"It's the dogfighters... Kab and his goons. They're quick and accurate."_

_"Then we need to focus on the lead ships,"_ Falco tossed in, as he shot down another droid ship. _"The droids can't do too much damage anyway..."_

"Just don't let them gang up on you, they're better shots than you think," Wolf told them. "But I agree... Everyone, do your best to get behind one of the lead ships!" He sighed, and said under his breath, "I'm sorry, Arti..." Then he cursed as Kab managed to punch a hole in his shield near the W_olfen'_s right wing.

*****

"I'm going to kill you, O'Donnell, you sonuvamartian!" Kab cackled, firing repeatedly. "Maybe in a minute, or five minutes, or ten minutes... No matter how long it takes, I will kill you!"

_"He can't hear you." _Mafefe's voice sounded bemused.

"I know, son, but I enjoy pretending that he can..." Kab replied. He paused, focusing on aiming another charged shot, which missed, then said, "It's &%$# good to have you here with me, my boy. It's comforting knowing you have my back."

_"Indeed, Father... I am right behind you, and will remain here until the end."_

"That's my boy."

*****

At first he had counted the number of shots that his ship had taken... It helped to gauge the strength of the shields, without needing to look at the display. But, after a certain number he realized that his shields would soon be a distant memory, and that counting the shots now was like counting down to the end of his life.

He'd lost stabilizer power... Lost maneuverability... And lost the ability to jettison the prototype bomb. That's when another, more important, realization came to him... There was only one way to make this mission a success. One choice to make. And he was the only one who could make it.

"Alliance ships... This is Omega One. I am nearing the _Bloody Rose_... And... This will be my final transmission. I am doing what must be done. Goodbye, comrades... And may the Creator bless you all." Gil Dracone turned off his comm link, and put his ship on autopilot. It was thrusting forward at incredible speed, the target dead ahead.

Time seemed to suddenly slow down... The shots coming at him from every angle moved like snails, inching their way toward him. The target loomed, but seemed to be slow in coming. All around him ships were exploding, men were dying... And he knew he would soon join them.

"You're a brave man, Gil," said a voice to his left.

Gil turned in surprised, to look at what had been an empty co-pilot's seat.

"Wh-Who are you?" he stammered.

The young man beside him smiled.

"I'm just a messenger," he replied. "Name's Josh."

"I... I don't understand."

"I think you do, Gil. _He_ sent me." Josh glanced briefly upwards, and then smiled again. "Just to make sure this was as smooth as possible."

"I see," Gil said, staring straight ahead now. "Is... Do you think He's... Very upset with me?" He looked over at Josh worriedly. "I've been a criminal for most of my life."

"True," Josh agreed. "But I've seen worse fellows atone for their sins in their final moments..." He nodded upward, and said, "All you have to do is ask Him to forgive you."

Gil nodded, and started to bow his head, but then looked up again.

"Will... Will you..." he struggled. "I don't... Want to die alone."

"You won't," Josh said, and reached over to pat his shoulder. "You'll never be alone again, Gil." He smiled, then said, "Let's pray..."

*****

Bill Grey had been in a lot of fights, there could be no doubt of that... He'd taken down more Venomian ships than he could count in his time as a Cornerian pilot. But never had the odds been so drastically against them... They'd been steep before, of course, but this... This was unlike any battle he'd ever been in. It was a slaughter.

One after another he saw promising rookies and cagey veterans get shot down... Turned into just so much antimatter, left to evaporate in the vacuum of space. And yet, there he was... Alive. Was it his skill? Experience? Maybe... Or maybe it was just luck. Either way, he couldn't see how his luck could possibly hold out any longer.

_"Alliance ships... This is Omega One. I am nearing the __**Bloody Rose**__... And... This will be my final transmission. I am doing what must be done. Goodbye, comrades... And may the Creator bless you all."_

"What?!? No!" Bill yelled, but his squad leader's comm link was off. Desperately Bill tried to break clear of the chaos, the tumult of ships, so he could catch a glimpse of Gil Dracone. Then the realism of what had been said in that message came through to him...

"Retreat! Retreat!" Bill exclaimed into his comm. "It's going to blow! RETREAT!"

_"What was that message all about? Where's Omega One?"_ Kain Frederick asked, as he zoomed up alongside Bill.

"Doing what he has to do..."

*****

As one, the remaining Alliance ships turned, and thrusted away from the scene of the battle... Their numbers had been reduced by nearly two-thirds, yet they were still strong enough to follow the plan, and keep tight formation upon retreat. The Venomian ships sensed a trap... They just didn't realize what kind.

All Venomian ships quickly assembled around their lead flagship, the _Bloody Rose_. They awaited an order from the acting commander, who'd taken over after the deaths of the three who'd been higher in rank himself. He was Petty Officer... No, strike that... He was _Commander_ Colbert. And he was highly confused about the Alliance's plan.

"They must want us to follow them!" he decided. "Hold your position!" He smiled to himself... He was a good commander, he decided. Better than Panther Caruso. That jumped-up cat had been far too smug, far too confident. "I won't make that mistake," Colbert muttered. "I'm not chasing after the prey... Let them play their little game. We will win in the end."

That was the last thing Commander Colbert ever said.

*****

_"Oh crap! I can't get rid of him!"_ Andrew exclaimed.

The others barely heard him, in all the mayhem, and though some of them wished they could help, it was impossible... After trying to focus on the lead ships, Star Force discovered that Wolf had been right... The droids _were _better than they seemed. And so, their shields had taken a severe hammering, and they were now fighting for their lives.

But one pilot managed to break clear momentarily, and found himself near Andrew, who had a familiar ship blasting away at him from behind... The _Chameleon_.

"I'm coming, Andrew!" Slippy Toad thrusted forward, firing rapdily, and catching Leon Powalski completely off-guard. Leon determinedly shadowed Andrew for a few moments more, then grudgingly spiralled away. But Slippy did not relent. "Eat laserfire, Powalski!"

In the chaos of comm transmissions, somehow Slippy's exclamation got through to Leon, who replied, _"What?!? Is this... *cough*... That idiot Toad?"_ He sounded completely incredulous.

"You better believe it, jerk!" Slippy proceeded to land three of his next five shots, all but negating Leon's shields.

_"You're nothing but... *cough*... A loser! A charity... Case! McCloud only... Kept you around because... *cough*... He felt sorry for you!"_

Anger welled up inside Slippy, giving him even sharper focus, and an adrenaline rush unlike any he'd ever had. One, two, three more shots. Leon's shields were gone. All Slippy or Leon could hear was the staccato sound of laserfire against metal. Shot after shot, no matter the moves Leon attempted, his ship continually took more damage.

Finally, after following Leon through a tight loop, Slippy charged a shot... Took aim, and fired. It was a perfect impact! Sparks flew, flames broke out... Smoke billowed from the _Chameleon'_s engine.

_"This... Can't be happening! *cough*... I am... The great Le-" *KRAKABOOM* ..._And Leon Powalski was no more.

The comms were silent for a moment, as everyone hovered in place, staring on in shock... Kab couldn't believe his partner in crime, who he'd worked so hard to bring back, was gone, and didn't even take one of their enemies with him. He quickly gathered his men to pull back and regroup.

And the good guys, the amalgam team Star Force, couldn't believe they'd just watched Slippy actually do something so heroic, so courageous. After it sank in, the jubilation spilled out.

_"Terrific work!"_ Fox said happily.

_"Unbelievable," _Krystal breathed.

_"Atta' boy, Slippy!"_ Kay-Tee exclaimed.

_"Thanks for the save,"_ Andrew said, sighing.

_"Thanks for saving my ship,"_ Bart muttered.

Slippy was beaming, but the next two compliments really put the icing on his cake.

_"Slip... I'm pretty freaking impressed,"_ Falco admitted.

_"Nice work, pilot,"_ Wolf added.

"Thanks, you guys," Slippy replied, grinning broadly. "It means a lot. In fact, it-"

*CHOOM-CHOOM-CHOOM* ... _*KABOOM*_

Every set of eyes widened, as they saw Slippy's ship burst into flames, and crash to the ground!

_"Slippy! Nooooooooooo!"_ Fox cried out. But there was nothing that could be done... Slippy Toad was gone. And, as the smoke cleared slightly, they saw the ship that had felled him... The _XV-88 Destroyer Wolfen-Mech_.

*****

_"Arti... No... How could you?!?"_ Kay-Tee exclaimed. _"He was our friend! He was __**your **__friend!"_

"Kay-Tee, let it go," Wolf said calmly. "We can't do anything now, except finish this fight alive." He sighed audibly, then said, "Everyone else... They're regrouping and swinging around, so get ready." But he wasn't as calm as he was sounding. Quite the contrary... As annoying as Slippy had often been, he was a good pilot... And he didn't deserve to die.

On top of that, Arti had been the one to kill him. Wolf didn't understand it, but he couldn't believe that Arti was doing this of his own free will... He knew there had to be something else behind this. And he felt certain that _something _was a mad

doctor.

"Now you die, Kab Lamooie," Wolf snarled, as he and the others turned to meet Star Kab head on, one more time.

*****

Dox let his wings carry him a few feet into the air, then hovered there. Holding the pin tightly in one hand, he turned the other hand palm first towards Andross. He felt the familiar tug inside of his mind, and knew the erasing power was pouring out of his palm, hammering into Andross. Dox closed his eyes and concentrated, pouring more and more of his own energy into it.

Finally, winded, he dropped to the ground, stumbled, but managed to stay on his feet. He took a few breaths to steady himself, then opened his eyes, and looked up.

"For a brief moment that actually tickled."

"Ah geez..."

Andross laughed loudly, his eyes blazing brightly.

"Care to try again, little mosquito?" he inquired, a demonic grin on his evil face.

Dox nodded.

"Guess I just need to try harder," he muttered, as he focused the energy once more, drawing on his own life force. With his own eyes glowing, he shot up into the air, and let loose on Andross.

*****

The _Great Wolfen_ was hurtling at top speed away from the conflict, along with all the other Alliance ships. Pablo and Mumbo had rejoined Icis Mazza, CT64, and Lazlo on the command deck, and were watching the vidscreens intently.

"The Venomian ships are falling back to surround the _Bloody Rose_," Mazza murmured. "If only-"

A terrific explosion filled the screen! It started with a mushrooming blast right at the center, but quickly expanded in a series of smaller explosions which completely blocked everything else from view.

"Are we clear of the blast radius?" Pablo quickly asked.

"Affirmative," CT64 responded. "All remaining Alliance ships are clear of the conflagration."

The group watched in silence as the scene slowly cleared. The Alliance ships had stopped their escape run, and were now hovering in space, watching and waiting. Finally, they caught sight of the result.

"Eekum Bokum," Mumbo muttered.

"You said it," Lazlo agreed.

"Gone... They're all... Gone!" Mazza exclaimed with relief, slumping against a nearby console.

And so it was... Every Venomian ship had been completely and utterly destroyed with one fell swoop. The group aboard the _Great Wolfen_ started cheering, as the comm system came to life with a mixture of more cheers, questions, and utterings of disbelief.

*****

"I don't understand," Gled Jinnore murmured. "I don't understand..."

A nearby droid watched him, noting that he'd repeated that line 37 times.

"Sir, perhaps we should return to the other ships," the droid suggested. "The situation has improved, and-"

Gled finally looked up from what he held in his hands, and took note of the droid.

"No... We can do no good," he said, . "The shields are all but gone..." He then looked back down, and fell silent once more.

The droid accepted the order, and moved away. He didn't know of anything he could do to help his captain... Though he had an intelligent cyber-brain, the droid couldn't fathom what Gled was going through. So, he decided to just leave him be.

Gled slowly raised the object he held tightly in his hands upward, until it was at eye level. Torn wires and part of a data module dangled from it, betraying it as machinery. If not for that, it would seem as if Gled was holding the head of his brother in his hands, instead of a droid replica.

"What does this mean?" Gled asked no one in particular.

Suddenly, to his amazement, the head vibrated slightly, and the eyes that had once seemed so like his brother's opened. Now they were glowing brightly yellow. Gled stared in shock, as the mouth moved, and spoke to him.

"Goodbye, brother..." it said, it's voice sounding just like Grye Jinnore. "I will not miss you."

"I don't understand..." Gled whispered in fearful awe.

And he never would.

*****

"It doesn't matter," Kab muttered. "I don't need Powalski... Arti and Mac are better than him at taking orders. And I have my son guarding my rear... Everything's going according to the &%$# plan." He glanced down at the ground, where Andross had apparently stopped moving foward, and was now staring at something at his feet.

"Just you wait, _my lord_, you're next, &#$ you," Kab said, sneering, as he rolled his ship to face the fast approaching Wolf O'Donnell. Behind him, the _Kazolfen_, with Mafefe at the controls, mirrored his movements. Arti and Mac took positions to either side of the _Lamooie_, and what was left of the droids raced on ahead.

*****

"Sirs, direct comm request from Bill Grey," CT64 alerted Pablo and Mazza.

"Right, patch him through," Pablo replied, turning down the volume on the cheering group. "Go ahead, Bill."

_"Omega Squad, reporting success,"_ Bill intoned, sounding depressed. _"Requesting go-ahead to search for surviving enemies... Or friends."_

"Of course, but... Is something wrong?" Mazza inquired. He hadn't heard the final comm transmission from Gil Dracone, due to shouting so many orders over his own link.

_"Omega One gave his life to make sure the mission was completed,"_ Bill told them.

Everyone exchanged glances, as Pablo said, "Are you positive he didn't survive?"

_"Affirmative."_

The happiness aboard the _Great Wolfen_ diminished noticeably. Another hero, taken away...

"He was a good man," Mazza said, quietly. Shaking his head, he added, "But, yes... Go ahead and search through the debris field for survivors. Oh, and Bill... Did the rest of Omega Squad survive?"

_"We lost contact with Rider early on,"_ Bill responded. _"But he may still be out there... Kain has a beaten up ship, but he's alive."_

"Understood," Pablo said. "Comm back if you find anything... Take a dozen ships with you."

_"Do we have a dozen left?"_

"A few dozen, actually," Mazza said, allowing himself a smile. "Gil's sacrifice saved many lives... Perhaps the whole galaxy, as well."

Moments later, after Bill and his group took off to search the debris field, and Kain took his ship aboard the _Violet Kitty_ for repairs and a rest, Pablo said, "Well... We lost only one flagship... Yours, Mazza, the _Green Witch_." He paused, then added, "But we lost a lot of good men."

Mazza nodded.

"Yes... Wait, that reminds me," he said, turning to CT64. "Any more news from the _Jinnorian_?"

"Negative, sir," the droid replied. "They remain well clear of the battle area, and there have been no further transmissions from them."

Grabbing his comm link, Mazza said, "This is Icis Mazza, requesting contact with the captain of the _Jinnorian_." He received no answer, however, which puzzled him. He changed the nearest vidscreen to show the _Jinnorian_.

"It looks relatively good," Pablo said, joining him. "Compared to the rest of us..."

"Yes, but-"

_*BOOM-BOOM-KRAKABOOM*_

Pablo, Mazza, Lazlo, Mumbo, and CT64 watched in horror as the _Jinnorian _exploded! The shockwave rocked the _Great Wolfen_, and the other ships nearby, but no one was harmed. Everyone just looked on, in complete disbelief.

"Enemy attack?" Pablo managed to ask.

Mazza checked the map display, and shook his head.

"No..." he murmured. "Besides... It exploded from the inside, out." He shook his head. "Something odd had been happening. But, maybe there was more damage than it seemed... A reactor core collapse, or... Something."

"Whatever the case... How terrible it is that the Jinnore brothers won't get to see our victory," Pablo said, sighing.

Before anything more could be said concerning the deaths of the leaders from Jinnoria, CT64 announced, "Incoming armada!"

"Mumbo hope Droid Man kidding." Mumbo shook his shaman stick at CT64, as Lazlo fainted.

"No, he's not," Mazza replied, bringing up another view on the vidscreen. "Look..."

Pablo stared at the screen incredulously.

"You've _got _to be kidding me, that's like three hundred ships," he muttered.

_"Mazza? This is Mandara... We picked up incoming ships on radar. My ship's still hanging in there, but most of my men are gone... What's the plan?"_

"I'm not sure," Icis admitted. "We don't have much left to fight with, and-"

_"Hey! Somebody call for backup?"_

Mazza exchanged a glance with Pablo, then said into his comm link, "I must be crazy, but... General Hare?"

_"You got it... Now, where's the trouble?"_

Pablo sighed.

"Appreciated, but too late, General," he replied. "The threat has been removed... At a high price."

_"I'm... I'm sorry to hear that... We had some trouble with the Royal Family, you see, and finally I just sent out a general alarm, and led the charge myself. I'll probably hear about that from Prince Cor, but I knew you were in trouble up here..."_

"We understand," Mazza said, shaking his head, though part of him didn't. "But you _are _still needed. The ground forces on Venom are in serious trouble... We've completely lost touch with the Venomia City battalion, and a few others. Wolf and Fox went to find Andross, and take matters into their own hands... We've not heard from them since."

_"I'm on it,"_ Peppy answered immediately. _"I'll send out some backup squadrons across Venom... Then I'll transfer to the __**Great Fox**__, and head for Venomia City."_

"We come, too," Mumbo asserted, then bent down to try and wake up Lazlo.

"Absolutely," Mazza agreed, heading for the captain's chair.

"I owe Wolf some backup," Pablo said, hurrying to do a quick check of the _Great Wolfen'_s shields and engines with CT64. "The sooner we go, the better."

_"All right, let's get down there... I have some worried guests with me."_

*****

Something told Wolf to look downward, toward Andross... No, it wasn't the voice of Josh, or any other actual voice... It was just a feeling he had. Like there was something crucial about to take place. As it turns out... There was.

Thrusting clear of the fight for a moment, briefly forgetting about Kab's unrelenting attacks, Wolf looked down at Andross, his eyepiece zooming in closer, and saw a chilling sight! There was Dox, apparently in his oft talked about Reaper form, hovering several feet in the air, in front of Andross. Wolf held his breath as he saw Dox drop to the ground, and lay unmoving, in a crumpled heap.

"No!" Wolf exclaimed, his ship hovering in place. Little did he realize what a target he was making of himself...

*****

"Now's the time! Now's the &%$# moment!" Kab was shouting with glee. "Mafefe, my son, join me in blasting him out of the sky... On three... One, t-"

_"I don't think so, Father..."_

"What?!?" Kab said in disbelief, his finger poised over the nova bomb deployment button.

_"I wanted you to reach this moment, when you thought your revenge, your victory was so very close,"_ Mafefe told him, his voice dark and ominous. _"But now I shall have my revenge... On you!"_

The boy thrusted forward, the _Kazolfen_ screaming through the air, aimed directly at the _Lamooie_. But Kab did nothing... He just sat there, stunned, unable to fathom the hatred he had heard in his son's voice.

Mafefe was apparently planning on ramming his father's ship, he was certainly coming to fast to miss him, but Kab didn't try to get away. All he did was prime his bombs, and press the release button... Just as the two ships collided!

*****

_*CHOOSH*_

"What the-" Wolf muttered, spinning his ship to the left, just as two bombs shot past him, missing him by inches, followed by two crashing, burning ships! The two ships shot over the top of a crumbling building, and disappeared somewhere behind it, the sound of the crash echoing all around.

_*KATHOOM*_

But the bombs headed directly for Andross. A blinding flash, followed by a sharp detonation sound, filled the area. And then four important things happened all at once...

*****

Articerile Montague woke up. He'd been having a terrible nightmare. In it, he couldn't control his own body, not even a finger... He had to watch as he flew his ship toward the _Great Wolfen_, and fired upon it. And then, on Venom, he watched as his fingers pulled the triggers of his lazer cannons, and shot down Slippy Toad.

But he was awake now... That was what mattered. It had just been a dream. Hadn't it? With a shock, Arti realized he was in the cockpit of the _XV-88_, and it was then he realized that it had been no dream. He was on Venom... Ships were burning on the ground... He had fired upon his friends.

And... He was headed right for a building. With a cry of alarm, he wrenched the controls... But he hit the sturdy concrete wall with his left wing, shearing it off completely! And try as he might, he couldn't stop the ship from entering a downward spiral... And he couldn't keep it from crashing to the ground, either.

*****

"Come on, come on!" Falco was berating himself. "You're faster than this, come on!" Looping repeatedly, he tried to get behind the last droid ship, but the mechanical pilot was just too fast, and once again he found it on his tail, firing across his wings. "&%$# it!"

_"Need a hand?"_

"Mind your own business, Fox!"

_"Yeah, right," _Fox replied, laughing. Two quick blasts later, the droid ship crashed to the ground below. _"You can thank me anytime, old friend."_

"I had everything under control," Falco snapped. He did a system check, to make sure his shields were still intact, then muttered, "Thanks."

_"Don't mention it."_

"I won't."

*****

"Wh-what...? Where am I?" Mac Banjo gave his head a shake, trying to figure out what had happened. He'd been hallucinating, seeing himself do horrible things... Zack and El... He'd killed them. But that couldn't be...

Turning in his seat, however, Mac saw the truth... Laying on the floor of the gunner's compartment was the body of El Boton... Murdered by his own hands.

"No... No!" Mac yelled, falling to his knees, and covering his eyes. "NOOOOO!!!"

It was then that his ship collided with something... And put an end to Mac's grief.

*****

Wolf was amazed to see that Andross was pretty burned up, and had crashed backwards into a partially standing building, thanks to those bomb blasts. The tyrant was still standing, barely, but Wolf knew what it all meant... His shields were gone.

"Doxxy must've taken them out," Wolf murmured to himself. "And now Andross is hurt... Winded. The time to take him out is now!" Jumping on the comm, Wolf shouted, "Fox, let's go, Andross is ready to be dropped. His shields are down, and-" Wolf cut himself off as he stared in shock as another ship went barreling past.

"That's the _Bolt Bucket_... Mac Banjo," he thought aloud. "What's he doing? He's-"

_*BOOM*_

What was left of Star Force watched in surprise as Mac crashed directly into the huge form of Andross, then proceeded to take out two buildings, and then violently explode!

"Sonuvamartian..."

_"We need to get down there, now,"_ Fox said. _"To see if Andross is still alive."_

_"And to get to Dox!"_ Kay-Tee added worriedly.

"Begin descent," Wolf ordered, not sure what to expect below.

*****

Wolf and the others landed their ships quickly. Kay-Tee rushed over to the collapsed form of Dox immediately, while Wolf and Fox were the first to approach their fallen enemy. Strangely, sparks flew, wires dangled, and flames erupted, across the still form of Andross... And an important realization came to the Star Wolf captain.

"Robot," he muttered. "A freaking robot..."

Then, as some of the others caught up with him, a surprising thing happened... A hatch opened on Robot Andross' chest, and a small figure clambered out, shaking his head slightly to get his bearings.

Shock was the only thing that could describe how those that recognized the person felt.

"It's... Grye Jinnore!" Fox exclaimed.

The small being turned, hearing his name, and glared at them.

"Yes, it is me!" he said, shaking a fist. "I who was scorned for my projects, my investigations into the possibility of entering the 5th dimension... My brother, the hateful incompetent, told me I should focus on more important tasks. Bah! See what his tasks earned him!" Grye laughed evilly. "I wish I could have watched as my clone exploded, and destroyed Gled and his precious ship."

Wolf gritted his teeth, rage filling him.

"All of this because no one liked your ideas?" he spat. "You've caused many good men to die, you sonuvamartian! And for what?" He shook his head with disgust. "But, it's over now... You have no weapons left."

"That's where you're wrong, O'Donnell," Grye said, smugly. "My partner and I have more than just a giant robot to fight you with. We... Urgh!" To everyone's surprise, Grye Jinnore hovered upward into the air, clutching at his throat as if something was tightening around it. He gasped and wheezed, and then finally went limp... A moment later his lifeless form dropped to the ground.

"Heh... _'My partner and I'_... _'We'_... What a fool he was," said a voice behind the group. "He was only useful when tinkering with robotic machinery... Now I have no more use of him, and good riddance."

Everyone spun to see a cloaked figure standing there. Of all the Alliance pilots, only one recognized the voice... But he had no clue how it could possibly be him.

"You're dead," Wolf murmured.

"A CoDi Hacker is much harder to kill than you think, O'Donnell." Master SeaBee Emm laughed darkly. "I love how wonderfully surprised you look... But I don't like crowds. What do you say to going somewhere more private to resolve this?" Without waiting for a reply, Emm snapped his fingers, causing a brief flash of white light.

To Wolf's shock and amazement, he suddenly found himself somewhere else entirely! He looked behind him, but his friends were no longer there... He was alone, except for Emm, and in some barren stretch of land. They were still on Venom, he surmised, judging by the sky. But where, he couldn't be sure... It didn't matter though, not yet. For now, he was mad.

"Let's talk," Wolf said, turning to face the true villain behind all of the conflict, his hands forming fists.

_**____________End of Chapter Thirty-Two____________**_

I have a feeling you're all a little surprised... Am I right? I'd love to know how you felt at each twist I presented in this installment... Gil and Slippy dying... The space battle being a success without backup... Andross not being real... Grye Jinnore's surprise involvement... And the revelation that the true villain is Master SeaBee Emm, who seemed to have died long ago. Let me know what you thought. ;P


	33. The FINAL Battle

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

_Chapter Thirty-Three :_

_The __**Final**__ Battle_

"I imagine you'd like an explanation," Master Emm said. "As the mastermind of this brilliant scheme, I'd very much like someone to hear the more secret details of it all. Even if you won't live long enough to pass it along."

"Why not?" Wolf said, with a shrug. "I like a good story as much as the next guy." His hand casually went to his blaster, but he found his holster empty, and his comm link gone... He wasn't sure what kind of magic Emm was using, but it was thorough, he had to give him that.

"I'm sure you assumed I played no significant role in this saga," Emm began. "You probably thought that I was a tool that the Ancient Minister was using... Someone easily killed, and more easily forgotten."

"Basically," Wolf agreed.

"I had already usurped control of Andross' empire long before we first met, O'Donnell... He never did return from his previous fight with McCloud. When I realized this, it was easy to become Andross, and take over an empire that provided me with resources I desperately needed. With the help of that peon, Grye Jinnore, 'Andross' returned to power."

"Did you really ever need the rom shipment?" Wolf asked, puzzled.

"In fact, I did... And, while it would've been easier to just send a battalion to take what I needed from that freighter, I had an inspiration... To use you. If you served me well, your team would come in handy serving as my personal bodyguards. Alas, you did not choose to work with me. But I had a contingency plan in place for such a scenario."

"How come you didn't die when you fell on the lightsaber?"

Emm chuckled.

"The being that fell on that lightsaber did indeed cease to exist," he said, tugging absently at the satchel he was carrying. "However, it was never really alive."

"Come again?" Wolf asked, more than a little curious as to what was in Emm's bag, but even more curious as to how the CoDi Hacker pulled this off.

"It was a spectral clone," Emm replied. "A wonderful trick that some CoDi Hackers have been known to master... I myself am one of the best at doing so. In simple terms, which I know will suit you best, I projected an image of myself into reality. It walked, talked, acted like me, and did what I commanded it to do... Yet, as I said, it was never really _alive_."

Wolf let that sink in, then nodded his head.

"It was a good trick," he admitted. "It made me forget about you pretty quickly... And rule you out of contention when the blame started getting passed around." He paused, then asked, "But, wait a minute... As Andross, you instructed Kab to steal the rom data from the ship. Why not use a battalion _then_, instead of that bum? Or, better yet, why not use another spectral whatsit to get it?"

"Ah, yes, Kab... What a pathetically ignorant person," Emm said, dryly. "He met a fitting end, earlier... Killed by his own son." He laughed darkly. "But yes, I did instruct him to go to the ship... As a backup plan. More than anything, he was supposed to kill you. He failed, as expected. However, in the end, he did at least bring me the data."

Emm reached inside his cowl to stroke his chin, and said, "But you skipped an important moment, you know."

"What do you mean?" Wolf asked, frowning. "The fake you died, and then later Kab showed up..."

"What happened between then?"

"You mean, the mess with the Ancient Minister?" Wolf replied. "That wasn't related... Unless... Wait. He was in on this with you? Of course. He was after the same thing, the Tower of Time, and all that."

"Close, O'Donnell, but not quite," Emm said, and Wolf could sense the smug look on his face. "No, the Ancient Minister of Enniess was not apt to join me in my endeavors, choosing instead to accomplish the same thing on his own. So, I destroyed him, and replaced him with a duplicate created by that pathetic Jinnore. Even his droid, now _your _droid, had no idea."

Wolf stared at the CoDi Hacker as the man laughed.

"So that was you, too?" he asked, perplexed. "Wait, hold on... I had one of my men board your ship, and he watched 'you' interact with the Minister. You were bowing, and kissing up to him... Carrying on a conversation behind closed doors." He shook his head. "Why fake that?"

"Because I knew your spy was there, of course. His little invisible ship didn't fool me... I saw him laying in wait outside my ship, so I made sure he had a way in when the 'Minister' arrived. Then, assuming he was prowling around listening, I played it up well, so you'd get a taste of the plot I'd later feed you."

"It _was _you," Wolf murmured. He then snarled, "You who nearly killed me! You who nearly killed a solar system full of people!"

"You needn't get so upset," Emm said, waving a hand at him, nonchalantly. "I had hoped I'd killed you... But, truthfully, I didn't intend to follow through with that star detonating plan. However, your shaman returned from the dead just then, and blasted the 'Minister' to bits. I had no choice but to watch as your men barely stopped the countdown. It did allow me even more ammunition, though... Telling people like Kab, his idiot son, and even Caruso, how the Ancient Minister had it all wrong, and how I had a better plan." He laughed.

"Your plan is no better, if what you told Mafefe is true," Wolf shot back. "Destroying Venom."

"It is better, O'Donnell," Emm argued. "Much... Instead of seven or eight planets full of life being destroyed, only one will be. And really, no one will miss it. It's been a blight to this system for many years. The only thing anyone will mourn about it is that so many of their _heroes _died during the explosion." His tone suggested a sneer, and Wolf hated sneerers.

"So now what?" he asked the man, his hands forming fists. "Your plan has got you this far... But what's left? Your little friend and his giant robot Andross are history... Kab and his lot are toast... Your armada is probably falling as we speak... And, Creator willing, Alliance troops are taking the major cities. Now what, Emm?"

Emm clutched at his satchel.

"I had thought to just leave while you were fighting Grye Jinnore and his robot, and blow up the planet at my leisure... But in the end, I realized there was something I wanted even more than getting off the planet..." He paused, clearly for dramatic effect, and then said, "To kill you face-to-face."

"I'm that important to you, eh?" Wolf said, smirking. "I'm flattered."

"You've been a thorn in my side, O'Donnell... A constant worry, an ever-growing threat... I never expected you to join up with Scales, and gain an army. I didn't expect McCloud and Hare to let you into their Alliance, either... But it happened. And soon, you were knocking on my door... Sticking your nose into my ultimate plans. So yes, I want to fight you, kill you, and watch you die."

"What'll it be?" Wolf asked. "Fists? Pistols? Swords?" He chuckled. "Forgive me if I'm not overly intimidated... You're not that impressive, even with your little teleporting trick."

"Oh, but I have one more surprise in store for you, O'Donnell..." Emm then reached into his satchel, and brought out a shiny gold statue. A familiar one, at that.

"That thing is haunting me," Wolf muttered. "Where'd you get old Wanna's idol?"

"I had Caruso and Lamooie's son go to Lom, and purchase it from that moronic president," Emm said, stroking the idol like one would pet a cat. "I've wanted it for a very long time... Which is one of the reasons Lo Mo No kept sending people into that tomb. He knew I'd pay any amount of denari for it... Or, in his case, pay denari _and _offer him something he couldn't get on his own."

"Which was?"

"War strength weaponry," Emm replied. "A scarce thing on Lom."

Wolf shook his head. He'd disliked Lo for a lot of reasons, but now he had another.

"So, what do you plan on doing with that bauble?" he asked. "Going to hit me over the head with it?"

"Hardly," Emm said, holding the statue higher, so it caught the light. The gems in it's eyesockets glinted malevolently. "You really don't know anything about this statue, do you? Though you nearly died to bring it out of that tomb... I must thank you for that, by the way."

Wolf made a face.

"Don't mention it," he grumbled, wishing he'd never found the stupid thing now.

"This idol contains an ancient power source," Emm explained. "I won't bore you with the details... It's a long story. But, in a nutshell, it will grant the one who knows the proper spell words an amazing infusion of power."

"Sounds like something I heard on holovids when I was a tyke," Wolf snorted.

"Watch, then, O'Donnell... And you will see the truth in what I say." He then held the statue high over his head, and began speaking in an eerie tone. "Ohm veena rota voo! Zen kadda alba woi! Vor sella nix rena! Quando omni flunkus moritati!" As he spoke the last word, the statue began glowing brighter and brighter, until Wolf had to shield his eyes.

He heard Emm give a shout, and a moment later, a bloodcurdling scream. He tried to see what was happening, but the light was blinding. Emm screamed again, then again... But each time it sounded different. Less... Human. Suddenly, the light began to diminish... And Wolf carefully opened his eyes.

"Now you see, O'Donnell! You see what true power is!"

"Sonuvamartian."

Before him stood what used to be Master SeaBee Emm... And was now a hideous creature. Eight feet tall, glowing yellow eyes, jagged horns, four arms sporting talons, and, perhaps oddest and scariest of all, his lower half seemed to be the body of a spider. A very _large _spider.

"Here... As I always say, I prefer a fair fight," Emm rasped, through his deformed mouth of jagged teeth. He threw a lightsaber across to Wolf, who caught it in air. Then all four arms reached into the satchel on the ground, and each taloned hand reappeared with a shimmering lightsaber.

"Fair?" Wolf said sarcastically.

"All's fair in _this _war, O'Donnell... And now... You die!"

"%&$# you, man..."

*****

"Where did he go?" Fox asked, in shock. "And who was that cloaked man?"

"I'm not sure, but I think his name was Emm," Andrew said, staring at the spot where Wolf had been standing. "The guys told me about how Wolf and that guy had fought, and the guy had been killed..."

"Apparently not," Falco said, bitterly. "And now he's pulled a vanishing act, taking Wolf along with him."

"We have to find them," Bartimaeus said, heading for his ship (determined to reclaim it). "They can't have gone far."

"Kay-Tee, you stay with Dox," Fox called over to the Anthro-Avian. "You too, Krys... Falco, Andrew, Carlos, let's go."

"Wait!" Krystal exclaimed, pointing. "Look there!"

They all looked where she had indicated, and saw two familiar flagships heading their way... The _Great Fox_ and the _Great Wolfen_! The two ships landed in what was left of a docking zone, as Fox and the others hurried over. Out of the _Great Wolfen _came Mumbo Jumbo, Pablo Pym, Icis Mazza, and CT64 who was giving Lazlo a ride on his base.

Out of the _Great Fox _came ROB64, and then, surprisingly, Peppy Hare walked down the ramp, followed by Beltino Toad leading the sobbing form of Amanda Lilli, Slippy's fiancee. Krystal hurried over and embraced her, as Fox went up to Peppy.

"What are you all doing here, how'd you get aboard the _Great Fox_?" he asked his mentor.

"I couldn't keep them from coming, when we heard how badly things were going," Peppy said. "So we headed out with the reinforcements... The boys up there had done a good job, so I sent most of our men out across Venom. Then, on the way here, we finally heard the news about Slippy, when Krystal's comm came through..." Peppy stopped and cleared his throat.

"I... I tried to save him," Fox said, miserably. He glanced over at Beltino and Amanda. "I really did, Pep..."

"I know, my boy," Peppy replied, patting his shoulder. "You were his best friend... And this was war. No blame needs to be placed anywhere other than on Andross."

"Actually," Fox said, shaking his head, "Andross had nothing to do with any of this..."

"What?!?"

"He never came back, after our fight over Sauria," Fox told him. "The real villains, the ones responsible for Slip dying... Had no real connection to Andross, at all. Kab Lamooie, psychotic doctor and would-be tyrant. Grye Jinnore, previously one of our allies, who built a robotic Andross body that he operated. And the mastermind... A CoDi Hacker named Master Emm."

Peppy stared at him in bewilderment.

"That's... Unbelievable!" he exclaimed. "Wait... Where are these people now?"

"Kab was killed by a kamikaze attack by his own son," Fox said. "Long story. Grye was killed by Emm... Long story, too. And then Emm..." Fox trailed off. "Emm disappeared, abducting Wolf as he did so. I've got to go, Pep... I need to find Wolf."

Peppy nodded slowly.

"I understand, Fox..." he told him. "You know... I was wrong about him. He really did change, this time."

"Yeah, he really did," Fox agreed, turning to head for his ship. "And I want to make sure he lives to hear you say that." Climbing into his ship, he called out, "Falco, Andrew, Carlos, Bart... Let's find Wolf."

*****

"Is he okay?" Lazlo asked, worriedly, as Pablo checked Dox. Kay-Tee and CT64 looked on in concern.

"He's hanging on by a thread, that's all I can say," Pablo replied, sighing. "There's nothing I can do for him... Nothing even Bacta can do for him. We just have to wait and see if he wakes up."

"Maybe we should get him aboard the _Great Wolfen_, and into a bed," Mazza remarked, returning from talking to General Hare and ROB64.

"Good idea," Pablo agreed. "Give me a hand with him."

"Urgh... Agh..."

Kay-Tee stopped short of walking up the ramp, to follow the Mazza, Pablo, and the others, and looked behind him. To his surprise, someone was dragging themself along the ground, toward the ship!

"Wait, who's that?" Kay-Tee exclaimed, pointing.

The others stopped short, and looked.

"Good grief," Icis Mazza said, surprised. "I think that's Narl!" Letting CT64 help Pablo carry Dox into the ship, Mazza went with Kay-Tee out to where the slow-moving form was. "Narl, is that you?"

"Yesss... Sssir," the SharpClaw gasped out. He had several open wounds, and seemed to be in bad shape.

"Help me out, Peppy, we need to get him some Bacta immediately!" Mazza called to the General. To Narl he said, "Hang in there... You made it. We won..."

Narl nodded, cringing in pain.

"Then... Uncle Thorne hasss not... Died in vain," he murmured, then lost consciousness.

"No, he didn't," Mazza replied, quietly. "None of the fallen did..."

*****

A few hundred yards away, Beltino Toad, Krystal Saphira, and Amanda Lilli stood watching a certain wrecked spacecraft burn. Amanda was still sobbing, and Krystal had tears dribbling down her cheeks, but Beltino was holding it together.

"He was a good soldier," he said, his voice husky from held back tears. "He could've retired for good... But he left the door open for the possibility of returning in a dire situation." Beltino smiled sadly. "This was dire enough... 'One more, Dad'... That's what he told me. And so it was."

"He... He was a hero," Krystal managed to say. "Leon Powalski was hammering away at Andrew... And Slippy came to his rescue. He drove Leon away from Andrew, and then gave chase... Soon after bringing Leon down." She wiped her eyes, then said, "Everyone applauded his effort... Even Wolf and Falco."

"High praise indeed," Beltino said, nodding. He finally turned his gaze away from the burning wreck, and looked at Amanda. "I'm sorry, my dear, that your time with him was so short... But, though the wedding had yet to take place, know that I think of you as my daughter already... My son loved you, and that makes you family."

Amanda nodded, managing to quiet her sobs.

"I... I think I need... To lie down," she choked out.

"Of course," Beltino said. He and Krystal then guided her toward the _Great Fox_, but none of them could help glancing back one more time...

*****

The funny thing about lightsaber battles is that if two duelers are quite good, then a one-on-one fight can last a very long time. However, if one of the two mutated into a much larger, magically infused, quad-wielding master of the lightsaber, then the fight probably won't last very long. Or so Wolf was thinking, as he narrowly dodged yet another four simultaneous swipes that realistically should've killed him.

"That all you got?" he managed to spit out, fighting the urge to gasp for breath. His body had taken a beating the last couple of months, and he felt it right then... Every old wound ached as he jumped, dived, flipped, and blocked.

"I'm merely toying with you, O'Donnell," Emm rasped. "Wait until I start trying!"

"Ah geez..."

_*ZHING-ZHANG-ZHING-ZHOW*_

The lightsabers clashed repeatedly off each other, Wolf working desperately to block all the blows, and then somehow counterattack. But this was proving difficult... Even if he hadn't had the four arms and the lightning quick spider legs, Emm had enhanced senses that seemed to read every move Wolf made.

"You'll never defeat me," Emm told him, sounding neither exerted or worried. "I'll never let my guard down. I'll always predict your movements. I'll-Ow!" Out of nowhere, a melon-sized rock flew into the back of Emm's head. He staggered for a brief moment, and Wolf took advantage of it. He slashed his lightsaber in a low arc, and lopped off Emm's lower right arm!

"Arrrrgghh!" Emm howled, the stump of his arm bleeding badly. Oddly, though, his blood was thick and black... Like tar.

"You know, I bet that gunk clogs the heart pretty badly," Wolf said, smirking. He had take a few steps back, using this brief success to catch his breath, and evaluate the advantages he had just given himself. Then again, he hadn't done it alone... Someone had thrown that rock. But who? Wolf could see no one nearby.

"You'll pay for that!" Emm spat.

"Sure, _Dr. Smith_, sure," Wolf said, chuckling, feigning confidence. "Tell that to your arm over there."

Emm lunged forward, swinging three lightsabers, and Wolf brought his own lightsaber up to block him. Nearby, an invisible form raised another large stone, and then waited for the right moment to throw it.

*****

_"There! Floating up against the wreck of the Corellian ship!"_

"I see it," Bill Grey replied to the scout, a human named Kevin Amerigo. "It might be his ship... I'll check it out." He flew his own ship, the _Howler_, in as close as he dared, moving slowly. It was always wise to tread carefully where debris fields were concerned.

_"Is it him?"_ came a voice over his comm that he recognized as Kain Frederick. The young pilot was resting back on Queen Mandara's ship, after a grueling battle.

"I'm not sure, I can't... Wait... Yes, it is," Bill told him. "It has the black cloud and lightning bolt insignia... His special mark."

_"Anyone moving in there?"_ asked Amerigo.

"Not that I can see. Let me turn on my docking lights..." The moment he flicked the lights on, Bill was able to fully make out the cockpit area of Rider's ship. And, just barely, he could see what appeared to be the slumped and still body of Rider himself. Grabbing his comm link, Bill entered Rider's frequency, and tried raising him.

"Rider Storm... This is Bill Grey... Do you read me?" Bill waited a moment, then tried again. "Rider, this is Bill, do you read me? Come on, snap out of it, kid... Do you copy?" He and Amerigo kept their ships hovering, still and quiet, and waited anxiously for a sign of recognition.

_"...Bill?"_ It was Rider! The watchers could see his body shift slightly, as he answered the comm. _"I... I can barely... Move."_

"You don't have to," Bill said, relieved. "Let us do all the work." And, using low-power tractor beams, he and Amerigo pulled Rider's ship free of the debris field, and toward Queen Mandara's ship, the _Violet Kitty_. She had stayed behind to pick up the search party when they returned, before heading to the surface with the others. "Kain? He's alive. We're bringing him in."

Kain acknowledged that news with a whoop, and informed someone to open the hangar doors.

*****

_"General Hare?"_

"Yes, go ahead," Peppy replied, stopping just outside the _Great Wolfen_ to answer his comm. He'd been on his way inside to check with Icis, and see what condition Wolf's pilot and the SharpClaw were in.

_"Preliminary reports are coming in from around Venom,"_ a droid intoned. _"It seems that your ships have come to the aid of several small groups who had managed to hold out, and those cities are now being secured. In a few cases, the ground troops had actually secured the cities on their own... In a few other cases, the ground troops had been utterly destroyed."_

"What's the status of our control of the planet?" Peppy inquired, feeling a pang of regret at all the lives lost.

_"Approximately seventy percent, General... Venomian forces are still holding certain key cities."_

"Update me when you have more news. Hare, out." Peppy sighed, and turned to enter the ship he was standing before. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting to feel, becoming General of the Cornerian Forces... But pain, regret, guilt, and sadness hadn't been on the top of his list.

"Hopefully the boys can find Wolf, and make sure that this Master Emm has been dealt with," Peppy murmured to himself. "Then this nightmare will be over... Or nearly."

*****

_"Where the heck did they go?"_

"If I knew that, Falco, we wouldn't be scouring the area," Fox countered. "Maybe we should split up..."

_"No offense, but that seems like a lousy idea," _Andrew replied. _"There might be a squadron of Venomian ships around any corner... And in the shape we're in, we'd be lucky to survive even in a group, let alone going it solo."_

_"For once I agree with Oikonny," _Falco said, sounding surprised. _"It's too risky."_

Fox agreed as well, but he had a bad feeling that they were never going to find Wolf at the rate they were going. It took forever to search the rocky landscape around Venomia City, even by air.

_"If that guy can teleport himself around, how do we even know he's anywhere around here with Wolf?"_ Carlos inquired.

"I'm banking on the fact that maybe it's harder to teleport two people than one, and that maybe he couldn't go far," Fox admitted.

_"Two maybes makes for slim reasoning,"_ Bartimaeus remarked. _"Then again, we just fought in, and apparently won, a war, banking on one of the most pathetic plans in the history of the galaxy." _He laughed. _"Maybe luck is working in our favor."_

"Wolf's the one who needs the luck, I think," Fox murmured, his eyes glued to the terrain that was flashing by.

*****

"Ow!"

_  
*ZHANG*_

"EEEAARRRGH!" SeaBee Emm roared, as Wolf lopped off two of his eight spider legs with one swipe. He had, moments ago, removed Emm's upper left arm, and one other leg. All thanks to the flying rocks distracting the madman. Wolf wasn't going to question good fortune, but something weird was going on, he knew.

Emm was looking much worse now... With five bleeding stumps, he was growing a bit weaker. Not only that, but his lightning quick movements were now little more than jerky lunges. Most of the time, Wolf dodged them easily, and Emm snarled from the pain almost non-stop.

But, though he, and the invisible rock thrower, were making progress, Wolf knew he'd have to make something else happen, and soon. He was exhausted... He'd been in a very taxing space battle, and then a dogfight planetside. He'd been nicked at least twice by Emm's lightsabers, leaving him limping slightly, and suffering a rather nasty burn on his side.

Wolf didn't know how much longer he could last... He needed to finish Emm off, and quickly. But, without managing to open Emm's guard (either by cutting off his other two arms, or somehow staggering him enough to get him to drop his guard in pain or exhaustion), he didn't see how he'd ever land a fatal blow. The hope that Emm would bleed to death was a faint one... Someone filled with dark energy wasn't likely to die that simply.

"I grow weary of you, O'Donnell!" Master Emm howled, who had been in so much pain, and so enraged, that he hadn't even paid attention to the fact that rocks were flying about, hitting him in the head. He just assumed Wolf was tricking him. "You cause me pain... And damage to my mortal form! It's nothing I cannot repair in time, but I have plans, and you're holding them up. I am putting an end to this... NOW!"

Wolf was so tired he almost didn't expect the attack... He slowly raised his own lightsaber, as Emm spun forward, slashing low and high, simultaneously. An idea came to the Star Wolf captain, however, and he quickly straightened his lightsaber, holding it perfectly vertical. Then, as Emm's left lightsaber crashed against it, he jumped into the air, letting the right lightsaber slice harmlessly below him.

Using his momentum, Wolf pushed off of Emm's left lightsaber, spun overhead, and came down behind the evil maniac, spinning around to slash him across the back!

Master Emm shrieked a bestial cry of pain, stumbling forward, and dropping his lightsabers. Wolf dashed forward, jumped into the air, and twisted his lightsaber downward. Emm made a feeble attempt to roll onto his back, talons scrabbling for the fallen lightsabers, but it was too late... Wolf's lightsaber beam plunged right into his chest!

Wolf quickly stumbled backwards, and then fell to a sitting position, watching in shock as Emm writhed in pain, screaming like a banshee. His glowing yellow eyes grew brighter and brighter, like two spotlights shining out of his skull. That thick, black blood began pouring from his mouth, muffling his screams into eeries gurgles. And then, a bright flash of light nearly blinded Wolf.

Rubbing his eyes, Wolf rose unsteadily to his feet, and stared down at what was left of Master SeaBee Emm. In a pool of tar-like blood, a mutated skeleton now lay... The lightsabers were strewn about it, as were the earlier limbs that had been removed. And there, sitting upright near Emm's horned skull, was the Golden Idol of Wannamakacasha. The gems in it's eyesockets glinted briefly, then darkened.

"Whew..." was all Wolf managed to get out.

"I'll say."

"Who...?"

"Miss me?"

"For crying out loud," Wolf muttered. "It was you? Tossing the rocks around?"

Josh grinned.

"Well, I couldn't very well let you die," he said, shrugging.

Wolf appraised him for a moment, thinking.

"Why not?" he asked, at length. "Why couldn't you?"

"Err..." Josh looked away, seeming unsure how to answer for a moment. Then he sighed, and looked back. "All right... I'll tell you. I'm going to be in trouble anyway, might as well come clean." He paused, then said, "Your father saved my sister's life."

Wolf stared at the messenger in shock.  
"My father... But... How is that possible? When did this happen?" he stammered.

"A long time ago," Josh said, waving a hand as if that wasn't important. "We had been taken hostage by a group of evil men... They didn't want us, they wanted the place we were in, which was a supply depot. But anyway... They started looking at my sister in a certain way... Like..." He trailed off, his eyes betraying buried anger.

"I think I know what you mean, kid," Wolf said, quietly. "Go on..."

"Anyway... One day, one of them tried something... My sister bit his hand, and ran. I had been locked up in a storage shed, with no way out, but then my sister came running up. She had a plank of wood, and she used it to pry open the shed door. Then we ran... But the men were after us." Josh shook his head. "We weren't going to last long... We were tired and hungry. And they had blasters."

"Where does my father come into this?" Wolf asked.

"His ship landed a hundred yards away from where we were," Josh went on. "I think he was coming for supplies, not knowing about the situation. He saw us running toward him, and the men chasing us, shooting. He didn't pause for a minute, he just pulled his blaster, shot one of the men dead, and caused the others to backpedal."

Wolf nodded.

"And then?" he prompted.

"Your father helped my sister into his ship as quickly as he could, but she was weak... She fainted, and he had to pick her up, and place her inside..." Josh's gaze was very distant now. "He turned to give me hand, and I saw his eyes... Eye... Widen in shock. I remember it so vividly... Before I could even wonder what he saw behind me, I felt the blaster bolts enter my back."

Josh shook his head again, looking up at the sky.

"At first I didn't understand what happened, but a moment later it was obvious," he said, quietly. "Your father pulled his gun back out as I fell to the ground, but I told him to go... To take care of my sister. He fired off a couple of shots, and then jumped into his ship... He could see what I already knew. I was dead."

Wolf was more than a little surprised... He hadn't known his father for very long, but from what he knew about him, he wasn't exactly the hero type. But, he hadn't always been a hero himself, either.

"I found out later... After I had passed on to the other side... That he took my sister back to our aunt, who we lived with," Josh concluded. "Then, later... He returned to the supply depot with some of his men... And he cleared out the thieves." Looking back at Wolf, he said, "Slash O'Donnell was a hero... And I owed him so much. That's why I helped you."

_Slash O'Donnell_. Wolf hadn't heard his father's name in so long... Not since, in fact, the day he first signed on with Andross. The mad scientist had known of Slash, and his brief time as ruler of Venom. It was one of the reasons why Andross hired Wolf, in fact... Knowing what kind of abilities ran in his gene pool.

Wolf's father had given himself the name Slash after a recon mission on the planet Denduron ended badly... A massive, bear-like creature, known there as a Quig, gave him a vicious cut across his face, blinding one eye, and leaving a large scar. His real name was Gerik... Gerik O'Donnell the 1st.

What hardly anyone knew was that Wolf was Gerik O'Donnell the 2nd... Something he'd kept hidden since losing both his parents when he was six years old. His father had died while fighting off a Cornerian attack, above Venom. He'd watched, from the ground, as his father's ship exploded. Then he watched as the grief killed his mother, Jade. Part of him would always hate his father for that... No matter what anyone said.

"Thank you for telling me, kid," Wolf said, returning to the present. "And thanks for your help... The advice, the nudges, _and _the rocks. I appreciate it. All of it. And tell your boss thanks for the second chance."

Josh nodded.

"I will, Wolf," he replied. "Where are you off to now?"

Wolf snorted, glancing around.

"Preferrably back to the others, so we can evalute the casualties," he said. "But I don't even know where I am."

"I can help you with that, too," Josh said, smiling. He clapped his hands together, and suddenly, inbetween blinks, Wolf found that they'd been transported back to Venomia City, somewhere on the outskirts of the town. "Take care, Wolf."

"Hope you don't get in too much trouble with Him," Wolf said, with a nod upwards. A blink later, Josh was gone. Wolf then reached down, and discovered his gun and comm link had returned. He also found that the lightsaber he'd slayed Master Emm with was now dangling from his utility belt. Grabbing the comm link, Wolf said, "Hey... Anyone miss me?"

*****

"Ungh..."

"He's awake!" Kay-Tee said excitedly.

"Move over, let me check his vitals..." Pablo requested. A moment later, he smiled. "He seems to be gaining strength."

Kay-Tee, Pablo, and Lazlo had been watching Dox carefully for a while, hoping the Bacta would bring him around. He'd been very still, and completely silent... But just then he had groaned, and shifted slightly. His eyelids fluttered a moment later, and he saw Kay-Tee.

"Hey, buddy..." he murmured.

"I ain't your buddy, pal," Kay-Tee said, beaming. "How do you feel?"

"Like... I imploded," Dox said, grimacing.

"You very nearly did," Pablo told him, shaking his head. "Apparently that power of yours was too much for you to control."

Dox managed to shake his head.

"No... I knew what I was doing," he said, quietly. "I gave it all I had."

"No kidding, almost your life," Lazlo remarked. "And for what?"

Kay-Tee and Pablo shot the little marshmallow man a sharp glance, but it was too late.

"What does he... Mean?" Dox inquired, frowning. "Didn't... Didn't Andross... Die?"

Lazlo shrugged.

"Depends on how you look at it," he replied, before getting pushed aside by Kay-Tee. Pablo then ushered Lazlo out of the room, so Kay-Tee could explain things to his friend.

"Listen," the young pilot said, "You _were _a hero. And you _did _help." He hesitated, then said, "But Andross... Wasn't Andross. He was a giant robot, being controlled by a maniacal traitor."

Dox let that sink in.

"So... I risked my life to take down a robot?" he muttered. "Lame..."

"But, if you hadn't, we might have lost more friends trying to battle that monster," Kay-Tee countered. "You took out his shields, and weakened him... You set him up for a fall, and Kab and Mac finished the job."

"Thanks for saying that," Dox said, still looking slightly perturbed. His eyebrows then shot upwards. "Wait, Kab and Mac? What did I miss?"

Kay-Tee sighed.

"A lot," he replied. "A lot."

*****

"Watch it, guys! They've got turbolasers!" Fox shouted, spiralling clear at the last moment. He couldn't believe the luck... While searching for Wolf, he and the others had stumbled upon a small city being held by Venomian soldiers. Now they were under attack.

_"This is crazy!"_ Andrew complained. _"How many battles do we have to fight in one day?"_

_"Has it really been just one day?"_ Bartimaeus inquired. _"Seems like about seventy..."_

Fox barrel rolled, shaking off laserfire, and then said, "We're going to need some help..."

_"Hey... Anyone miss me?"_

_"Boss!" _Andrew exclaimed. _"You're alive!"_

"Wolf, what happened?" Fox asked, too busy to be relieved. "Nevermind, tell us later, we need help."

_"10-4, beam your coordinates to my ship."_

*****

Wolf headed for the _Wolfen_, which was parked nearby, but was hailed by someone off to his right.

"Wolf! You're alive!" It was Peppy Hare.

"So I've heard," Wolf replied, nodding. "But, no time to talk, gramps, McCloud's in trouble."

"Then I'm coming," Peppy said, sternly. "Wait for me to get my ship out of the _Great Fox_."

Wolf started to argue, but the Cornerian general was already dashing away. Wolf rolled his eyes, and jumped into his ship. Starting it up, he rose into the air, where he remained, hovering. A minute later, an Arwing flew out of the hangar doors of the Great Fox, and joined him.

_"Let's go!" _Peppy said over the comm.

"Yeah, let's..." Wolf muttered. He checked the coordinates that Fox had sent him. "Looks like they're in Litticher."

_"Right behind you, Wolf,"_ Peppy responded. _"Oh, and Wolf? I tore up that paper that you signed, on my way here from Corneria."_

Wolf paused in the action of thrusting forward, and thought about that.

"Guess that's nice to know, General," he told him. "Come on, let's get going."

*****

Pablo, Kay-Tee, and CT64 slowly approached a crashed, yet still familiar, ship. It was badly damaged, but the cockpit seemed to be somewhat intact... And it wasn't burning. That left room for hope.

"He's alive, he has to be," Kay-Tee murmured.

"The question is, which Arti will we find?" Pablo wondered aloud.

"If Wolf and Dox were right, that Kab caused Arti and Mac to turn traitor on us, then maybe with him dead, Arti'll be okay again," Kay-Tee said. He didn't sound convinced, but he did sound hopeful.

"It is possible," CT64 intoned.

"Kab _is _dead, isn't he?" Kay-Tee asked.

Pablo nodded.

"Mazza and ROB64 went to check," he replied. "They found Kab mostly in one piece, but very dead."

"And Mafefe?"

"Well, to be honest, there wasn't enough left of your ship to be sure," Pablo told him. "However, judging by the way the cockpit split apart, and the engine exploded, I'd say he's just so much antimatter." He paused, then said, "I'd better look first, okay?"

Kay-Tee nodded, stopping short. CT64 reached out to awkwardly pat the young pilot on the shoulder, while Pablo stepped closer to the wrecked ship, and peered into the cockpit.

Pablo stared intently at the slumped and bloody figure he saw inside the ship, holding his breath, hoping for some sign... And then his expression brightened, and he turned to CT64, saying, "Send for the others, we need to get him out." He smiled at Kay-Tee, and said, "He's breathing."

Kay-Tee sighed with relief, grinning broadly.

"I knew he'd be alive, I just knew it," he said. "Now if only we knew what was happening with-" Suddenly, his comm link crackled to life.

_"Kay-Tee? This is Wolf... Any chance of a steak for supper?"_

Pablo laughed, as Kay-Tee said, "You're alive!"

Wolf sighed audibly over the comm.

_"That's the word on the street, anyway,"_ he said, audibly tired. _"Just wanted to let you know, we're headed back..."_

"Is it finally over, boss?"

_"The fat lady is clearing her throat, kid..."_

_**____________End of Chapter Thirty-Three____________**_


	34. The End

_**Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War**_

**(Version 1.2)**

_Chapter Thirty-Four : The End..._

_Hello, I'm Tala Zwift, reporting live from Corneria City. Peace talks have been taking place for the past two weeks, and finally we at CRN channel 38 have good news to report. According to an official statement by General Hare, leader of the Cornerian armies, an agreement has been reached._

_"We are pleased to announce that the Galactic Alliance has been joined by all of the major planets in the galaxy, and that we now stand together as one people. Those nations that stood against us have either surrendered control to us, or agreed to the peace treaty that we offered. In some cases, such as the planet Lom, the citizens took matters into their own hands, removing dictators from command, and then contacting us to accept our treaty."_

_General Hare went on to say that this is a monumentous step forward for the entire galaxy, and what he hoped would be an end to war and tyranny. General Hare was appointed to the council of elders for the Galactic Alliance, along with such names as Icis Mazza, Queen Mandara, Beltino Toad, and Aronius Pepper. The council will be headed up by Prince Cor, of the Cornerian royal family._

_In other breaking news, it has been announced that Fox McCloud, of the famed team Star Fox, will be retiring from active duty. He and Star Fox pilot Krystal Saphira announced their simultaneous retirements on the heels of the announcement of their engagement to be married. The Star Fox name will also be retired, but rumor has it that a new team will soon take it's place. Many assumed this would be team Star Wolf, led by ex-mercenary Wolf O'Donnell, but General Pepper dispelled this rumor during his speech._

_"Wolf O'Donnell and team Star Wolf are heroes, and did this galaxy a service we could never repay... However, they will not be replacing Star Fox. I can tell you a familiar face will be heading up a new team, but cannot reveal details at this time."_

_That leaves us all waiting and wondering, however other rumors point to the possibility of Falco Lombardi taking the helm of the new team of heroes. With his-_

The vidscreen went black, as Wolf O'Donnell tossed the remote aside. He hadn't really been paying attention to the pretty blonde tell the news, he had just been staring at the screen while he struggled with all the thoughts bouncing around inside his head, as they had been since leaving Venom eighteen days before.

"I really need to delegate some of my thoughts," Wolf muttered, jokingly. "Maybe to CT64, he has plenty of mental storage." Sighing, Wolf stood, and headed out of his private quarters aboard the _Great Wolfen_. It had just been returned to him the day before, after extensive repairs had been done. The battle above Venom had taken it's toll on the flagship, but you couldn't tell it now.

Of all the things troubling him, the formemost was that Wolf had a meeting to attend to... And he didn't know what to expect from the man he was to meet with. Even more concerning was who Wolf was to bring with him.

"Andrew, you ready?" Wolf called down the hallway.

"I think so, Cap," Andrew replied, sounding uncertain. "But, I'm nervous." Together the two walked down the hallway, down the landing ramp, and into the sunshine of Corneria.

"You were brave enough to fly straight at your uncle, and unload a bomb into his face, but you're not brave enough to meet one normal man?" Wolf inquired, as they headed for a nearby skiff.

"He wasn't my real uncle, I had backup, and this is not a normal man," Andrew countered each point.

Wolf rolled his eyes.

"Fine, be nervous," he muttered. Little did Andrew know, but Wolf was nervous too.

*****

"Why did you do it?"

"I had to, I told you."

"No, you didn't... You could've just trusted that things would work out the way they were supposed to."

"I couldn't let him die."

D sighed.

"I know," he murmured. "I know. But now... There must be repercussions. You broke a very important rule. You interfered with the natural course of life."

Josh nodded, glumly.

"So, let me guess... I have to mop the golden streets? Or... Oh no, don't tell me I'm going to be a doorman! That's the most boring job in the history of the afterlife." He hung his head. "Hello, welcome to the first day of forever, may I take your coat?"

D tried hard not to laugh, and said, "Actually, it's neither of those. But, I'll let Him tell you."

"I'm not getting demoted to the NetherWorld, am I?" Josh asked, his face going pale. But D had already disappeared, leaving Josh to walk forward, and enter the golden building before him... To learn his fate.

*****

"Sit down, please..."

Wolf and Andrew sat down in two very comfortable chairs, facing a desk. Sitting behind the desk was a not-so-imposing looking person, with an imposing name and title.

"We're honored to be here, Prince Cor," Wolf commented, nodding his head. "Even though we... Err..."

"Don't know why you're here?" Cor offered.

"Yeah," Wolf admitted. "Exactly."

Cor nodded.

"I can imagine you are curious," he said. "It's just that we have very important things to discuss, some of which you already know about, and some you do not. Later we will be join others who have a stake in all this, but for now, I wished to speak with the two of you alone."

"But why me?" Andrew piped up, then immediately slapped his hands over his mouth. He'd meant to just think that, not actually say it.

Cor laughed, however, and said, "Because this applies to you both." He then removed two sheets of paper from a drawer, and handed one to each of them. They were almost identical, except for the name at the top of the page.

Wolf scanned it quickly, but wasn't familiar with a lot of the long words that had been used to make the document look more important than it probably was. Instead of trying to digest it all, he said, "What's this all mean?" He'd had a headache for days, so his patience was lessened, especially when it came to decyphering the language of royalty.

"In a nutshell, besides commending you on your heroics, it grants you full amnesty of the past."

Wolf's good eye widened. _Amnesty_. Now _that _was a word he knew.  
"You mean... The past... It's..." he struggled.

"Wiped clean," Prince Cor replied, with a nod. "Whatever indiscretions you might have been involved in, are now nonexistent, as far as your records reflect."

Andrew stared at the paper in silence. Wolf tapped him on the arm, bring him back to reality, and the apish pilot looked torn between grinning and sobbing. Finally he settled on grinning, and said, "Thank you, your highness, thank you so much!"

"Yeah... I can't tell you what this means," Wolf agreed.

"No need," the prince said, waving a hand. "The past is where it belongs. Now, Wolf, if you'll accompany me, we have other matters to discuss, elsewhere."

"Right," Wolf answered, standing. "Andrew? Head back and find the others... Tell them to be ready for an important meeting aboard the _Great Wolfen_."

Andrew tore his eyes from the paper in his hands long enough to nod, and then returned to gazing at his freedom as he walked out of the room.

"Wolf? This way, if you please."

Moments later, Wolf found himself in a large meeting room. Seated around a long table were a number of familiar faces. Prince Cor took a seat at one end of the table, and motioned for Wolf to take a seat at the other end. Also present were Peppy Hare, Fox McCloud, Falco Lombardi, Narl Dirz, and Pablo Pym.

"Captain O'Donnell," Prince Cor intoned formally, "We of the Galactic Alliance wish to make you an offer. Will you hear it?"

Wolf knew it was a royal formality to talk like this, and to ask permission to proceed at every other sentence, but he just couldn't stand it. He said, "Yeah, and you don't need to ask my permission to talk, you're royalty, not me." This drew a quiet chuckle from some of the others, and Cor nodded, deciding to dispense with formality, and get on with it.

"All right, then, Wolf... We offer you a position on the council of elders, a squadron to command in the Cornerian armada, and the position of liasion between the Cornerian and Saurian governments, where you would still be heralded as the SharpClaw commander."

Wolf had suspected all of that. He'd discussed each option with Peppy, Fox, Pablo, and Narl a few days before. So, he already knew what he was going to say... Even though it was very difficult.

"I have to say that I am honored that you would offer me all of that, your majesty," Wolf said, standing. "It means a lot... And tells me that I'm a better person than I used to be, to earn your trust like this." He paused, then went on. "However, I have decided to turn down all of the positions offered to me. Elder, Commander, Liasion, and General. But, I would like to suggest alternatives for three of those..."

Prince Cor nodded again, seeming to have expected this.

"Please, go on," he instructed.

"For a commander of a squadron in the Cornerian armada, and also a liasion between Sauria and Corneria, I recommend Pablo G. Pym... And for general of the Saurian armies, I recommend Narl Dirz." Wolf took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. "I'm just not ready to be tied down... I still have some soul searching to do, and... I've always wanted to see the far side of the universe. So, I will be leaving Corneria this evening. Thank you again for your trust and commendations."

He stepped back from the table, but waited patiently as Cor officially decreed that Pablo would be a commander and a liasion, and that Narl would henceforth be formally known as General Dirz of the SharpClaws.

Pablo had been unsure of Wolf's decision, but after discussing it for quite a while, days earlier, he eventually had agreed to the arrangement. Standing, he accepted the positions. Narl had been equally unsure during discussions, due to the fact that he considered Wolf a much better leader than himself. However, he stood and accepted his position without argument.

"That settled, we shall leave the opening in the council of Elders unclaimed," Cor announced. "Just as the one we offered Captain McCloud shall be. Should either of you change your minds, these positions will be available for you, always."

Wolf glanced at Fox, who smirked at him. Fox hadn't wanted the responsibility of the position, at least not so soon after retiring from Star Fox. He intended to spend as much time as possible with Krystal, due mostly to seeing how Slippy died before getting to spend very much time with Amanda, his fiancee.

"I'll remember that, your highness," Wolf replied, looking back at the prince. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other things to attend to, preparing for my departure."

"Of course," Prince Cor said. "Good luck, and may the stars always shine brightly above you."

Wolf knew that was his cue to say the last half of the old Cornerian salutation.

"And may peace reign always in Corneria," he said. He inclined his head toward the prince, and then quickly exited the room.

*****

"You have to, Wolf told me to get everyone," Andrew was insisting.

Arti sighed heavily.

"Okay, fine... I guess I need to talk to him anyway," he murmured, before striding away, out of sight.

Andrew watched him go, and shook his head. Arti had been in pretty bad shape when he was pulled from the wreckage of his ship, but he had control of his mind once more. Apparently, upon Kab's death, the mind-control probes he had implanted in Arti and Mac's brains ceased operations. This seemingly explained Mac's apparent kamikaze attack on Andross, as well.

But just because Arti was no longer evil, and working against them, it didn't mean that he was his old self. Nothing could be more untrue, in fact... So guilt-ridden over his vile acts while under Kab's control, he had barely spoken to any of them since returning to the ship after a week-long stay in a Bacta tank.

"I hope he can move on," Kay-Tee remarked, walking up to Andrew. "It's sad to see him so guilt-ridden, and closed off."

"I know," Andrew replied. "But, it would be kinda hard to get past... I mean... Poor Slippy."

Just then, a skiff approached. It was Wolf.

"All right, you lot... I want to talk to each of you separately... So, draw straws, and then come in one at a time, into the strategy room," he announced. "And be quick about it, will you?" He then hurried up the landing ramp, and into his flagship.

"What's eating him?" Andrew wondered aloud. "You'd think he'd be happy..."

"I think it's because he passed on all those great jobs," Kay-Tee said, thoughtfully. "It probably irks him a little bit. Oh, well... We'd better get in there, and decide who's going in first."

"I don't want to be first," Andrew stated firmly, causing his teammate to laugh.

*****

Wolf was seated at the long table in the strategy room, rubbing his temples with his fingers. A knock at the door announced the first arrival, and suddenly Wolf felt like he was back where it all had started... Interviewing recruits.

"Come in."

In walked Kay-Tee, who had no qualms about being first, whatsoever.

"Hiya, boss," he said cheerfully. He took the seat opposite Wolf, and smiled.

"Hey, kid," Wolf greeted him. "Okay, here it is... I'm leaving in a few hours, heading for the far side of the universe, and whatever adventures await between here and there. I don't know what I might find, or how long it'll take... But I don't intend to stop until I feel fulfilled." He paused, then said, "The question is... Do you want to come? Because, I have it on good authority that any of my pilots could land top positions in the Cornerian Armada. So, you have choices, kid."

Kay-Tee only spent about fifteen seconds thinking about it, before saying, "I'm in, boss. You need a pilot, a tech, and mainly, a chef... Because, where you're heading, it's possible there might not be a McSloppald's for lightyears around."

Wolf chuckled.

"All right, Kay-Tee... Thanks," he replied. "You can go, now." The young pilot exited the room, as Wolf bellowed, "NEXT!"

"Hey, chief," Dox said, as he walked in. "Yes, I'll go with you."

Wolf blinked, and asked, "How do you know...?"

"I'm a spy," was the reply he got, as Dox smirked, and then left the room.

Wolf shook his head... _Now _he was good at spying.

"NEXT!"

Andrew entered next, looking nervous. He was still holding the paper that declared him free of his past transgressions in his hands, as he sat down. Wolf told him basically the same thing he had told Kay-Tee, that he had a choice. Andrew stared at the paper for a long time, then looked up at Wolf.

"I was tempted for a minute to say one thing... But, really, I know I'd never be as happy if I did," the apish young pilot said quietly. "This ship has become my home, and all of you guys have become... My family. So... I choose to stay with team Star Wolf." He stood up, and headed toward the door.

"Hey, Andrew," Wolf called out. Andrew stopped short, and turned to listen. Wolf smirked, and said, "You're not the worst pilot I've ever seen... And you did kind of save my life once... So... It's good to have you aboard, kid."

Andrew grinned, and then left the room. A moment later, before Wolf could yell, Carlos Soldado entered. Wolf repeated the proposition to the ex-pirate, who seemed to give it careful thought.

"It's tempting, Wolf... But... I have family in this sector, and a girl here on Corneria," he replied. "I'd rather make this my base of operations, you know? And I got an offer that'll let me do that."

Wolf nodded.

"I understand, Carlos," he told him. "It was great flying with you... And I'll always remember what you risked to get us the information we needed during that Venom recon mission. Good luck with your new job." He shook the pilot's hand, and Carlos thanked Wolf for the opportunity to help out, then he left the strategy room.

"NEXT!"

"We decided to come in together, if you don't mind," CT64 intoned, as he entered the room. Lazlo was walking beside him. The two had become quite good friends in the last several weeks, although Lazlo could no longer hitch a ride on CT64's base.

CT64 now had a new, bipedal body, which was more similar to what he'd had before being nearly destroyed. He could've had a top of the line new frame, but had instead opted for a more salvaged look... It meant something, he'd reflected, to be made up of parts of other beings like yourself.

"Are you going to ditch us here on this planet?" Lazlo asked.

Wolf smirked.

"No, not unless you want me to," he said. He then gave them both the same proposition he had offered the others.

"I shall remain your navigator and team droid," CT64 answered without hesitation.

"I'm coming, too!" Lazlo threw in. "Traveling through the universe should be fun... Imagine all the things waiting to be dug up."

Moments later they were gone, replaced by Mumbo Jumbo, who had only to hear that basically everyone else was going, before quickly saying, "Mumbo go too." He then left the room.

"NEXT!"

"Scream much?" Bartimaeus cracked, as he strode in, and sat down at the table.

"No one can claim they didn't hear an order when I do," Wolf countered. He then repeated the proposition, totally convinced he knew what Bart was going to say.

"Hmm... Well, I can imagine the pay will be lousy, and goodness knows you'll be risking our lives at every turn," Bart said, rolling his eyes. "I imagine there are any number of lunatics like Emm waiting to make you their worst enemy. But, I have nothing better to do, so okay, I'll come."

Wolf's eye widened.

"You... Wait... You're coming?" he struggled to ask. "I didn't think you would."

"You couldn't manage without my skills," Bart stated, waving a hand. He left the room a moment later, leaving Wolf very surprised.

"Err... NEXT!"

There was only one person left to come in... Articerile Montague. He entered the room silently, and sat down at the table. He kept his eyes averted from Wolf, and seemed very troubled.

"Hey, Arti," Wolf said. "So... Look. You know I'm heading out... And all along I've been asking everybody if they want to come with me, or try their luck working somewhere else." He paused, then said, "But, kid, I really want you to come with us. To keep the original group together, and... Because you're a friend. You're part of this family, Arti."

Arti brought his eyes up, and met Wolf's gaze. He was quiet for a long minute, then spoke.

"I'm leaving," he said, his voice husky and quiet. "I'm going to get away from everything that's familiar to me, and just be by myself for a while. I can't deal with what I did, right now... I need to figure out how to be who I used to be, again."

"Kid, we can help you."

"You'd try," Arti countered, "But you can't help me. No one can... Only time can mend the damage. If it can ever be mended at all." He rose to his feet, and started to leave, but then reached out to shake Wolf's hand. "I'll never forget what this team gave me..." As he walked out of the room, Wolf stopped him.

"Hey... Stay frosty, Arti."

Arti nodded, then disappeared.

Wolf sighed, and rubbed his temples again. He had expected to lose Bart and Carlos... But he'd expected Arti to stay, along with the others. It didn't seem right to be moving forward without the robotics expert... But Wolf respected his wishes.

The sound of a quiet knocking interrupted Wolf's thoughts.

"I thought that was everyone," he muttered. "Come in." Glancing up, he smirked. "Should've known... You back to tell me that I did the right thing just now?"

Josh shook his head.

"No... I don't know what you did, so I couldn't say for sure," he replied. He took a seat at the table, looking uncomfortable.

Wolf noticed this, and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

"I broke a lot of rules helping you out," Josh told him. "And... I got demoted from my position as a messenger."

Wolf chuckled.

"What are you now, a holy janitor?" he quipped.

"No," Josh answered. "I'm... Alive."

Wolf stopped chuckling, and stared at him.

"You're kidding me, right?" he asked.

Josh shook his head again.

"No... Believe me, this is more shocking for me than you can imagine," he said. He rapped a knuckle on the metal desk, and then winced. "Ouch... Haven't felt a pain in... Decades."

Wolf supposed he shouldn't be surprised... After all he'd seen lately, this wasn't that unsual.

"Well, doesn't seem like punishment to me," he reasoned. "Maybe you can't teleport yourself around anymore, or get inside peoples' heads... But at least you're a living being again, yeah?"

"I guess so," Josh agreed. "No powers... But alive."

"So, what're you going to do now?" Wolf inquired. "Is your sister still around? Or other family?"

Josh looked uncomfortable.

"She's living a happy life, with a family of her own," he told Wolf. "How could I turn that upside down by showing up out of the blue? I'm the same age I was when I died... I couldn't explain that without really affecting the dynamic of her life."

"Good point... So where will you go?"

"Actually... I was wondering if... You needed another pilot?"

"You?" Wolf asked, incredulously.

"Hey, I was a great pilot before I died," Josh argued. "And it wouldn't take me long to shake the rust off, I'm sure." He paused, then said, "You're the only person I know. Aside from my sister, that is. But, you know my true story, unlike the one I'll have to fabricate for anyone else I meet."

Wolf frowned thoughtfully. He wasn't sure what to say... Josh had been a great help, no doubt, but he'd also been somewhat of an annoyance. Then again, he had felt the same way toward his other teammates at times. Finally, Wolf nodded.

"Welcome to Star Wolf."

"I appreciate this, Wolf..."

"Well, you're lucky this ship has plenty of rooms, and that I stocked up on extra fighter ships," Wolf said, standing. "The one extra of each is yours. When you meet the others, just tell them you saved my life one time, and I owed you, so you asked for a job." He smirked. "You and Andrew will have something in common..."

"Thanks," Josh said, nodding. "Oh... By the way... I have a message for you from the man upstairs."

Wolf raised an eyebrow, saying, "Go ahead."

"It was short and simple... _'Good job'_."

Wolf glanced upward, and nodded.

"Thanks... Boss."

*****

It was almost lift-off time. The _Great Wolfen_ was stocked and ready to go. The team, including the new members, were ready. All that remained was to say goodbye to a few friends.

"Wolf... I'm sorry to see you go, but I wish you luck," Pablo Pym stated, shaking the Star Wolf captain's hand. "I hope you find what you're looking for out there."

"Thanks, Pablo."

"Take care, Wolf," Fox told him. "And if you ever need someone to bail you out of trouble... Let me know."

Wolf studied his former enemy's face for a moment, then said, "Same to you." He then shook his hand, erasing the past as effectively as the word amnesty had. A friendship long abandoned had been somewhat restored.

"Hey, O'Donnell," Falco spoke up. "Don't cause too much trouble out there, or they might send me to bring you in." He smirked. It had just been announced that he would form a team called Star Falco, with Bill Grey, Kain Frederick, Rider Storm, and Carlos Soldado.

Wolf rolled his eyes.

"If the galaxy wasn't at peace, I'm not sure I could leave with you patrolling Lylat," he said. "I'd be too afraid for Lylat." The two might never be friends, but angry remarks had become humorous zingers... It was definitely an improvement.

"You will be missssed, brother," Narl remarked. "But I will lead the ressst of our brothersss proudly."

Wolf nodded.

"I know you will," he stated.

"Best of luck to you, Wolf, and be sure to come back someday," Peppy instructed.

"Sure thing, _General_." He couldn't help adding emphasis to the title, just for old time's sake. "Thanks."

"I'm glad we got a chance to work together in this, Wolf," Icis Mazza said to him. "We lost some great friends, but saved the galaxy."

"That we did, Mazza... So long as we never forget Gil, SUB36, Slippy, and all the others whose lives were taken, it _is _something to look back on and be proud of." Wolf stood back, as the rest of his team shook hands, and said goodbye, to the others. Arti hadn't waited around, Wolf noted with regret. But there was nothing he could do about that.

Moments later, he realized that it was time.

"All right... Team? Take your positions aboard ship," he called out. Looking at the small group there, he said, "Thanks... And goodbye." He then dashed up the landing ramp after the others, and into his ship.

The group outside quickly hurried away, to allow the ship to take off. The _Great Wolfen'_s powerful engines roared to life, and the ship began hovering upward, into the sunset skies of Corneria. As Wolf took his seat on the command deck, he had to admit that despite the guilt and misgivings, he felt pretty good. Better than he had in a long time.

Except for one thing.

"I keep feeling like I'm forgetting something," Wolf remarked, to his teammates. "Something important."

"Like what?" Dox asked, as their ship started working it's way out of Corneria's atmoshphere, so they could jump to hyperspace.

"This may sound crazy, but... I think it has something to do with eggs," Wolf said, scratching his head.

"You want me to cook some up?" Kay-Tee offered.

"No..." Wolf shook his head.

Josh glanced over at him, and said, "You're probably just unwilling to accept that you're completely prepared to leave this galaxy behind, and your brain is making excuses for you to stay."

Wolf shot him a look.

"Thank you Dr. Phil," he muttered. "No... I'll think of it sometime." He closed his eyes, muttering the word 'eggs' over and over, but nothing came to him. In fact, it wouldn't come to him for a very long time. Unfortunately.

"Ready to jump to hyperspace," CT64 intoned. "On your mark, sir."

"Hmm? Oh, right. Begi-"

"Wait! What's that?!?" Kay-Tee exclaimed. "Coming toward us!"

*****

_(Sauria...)_

_*CRACK* *BANG* CRAAAACCCKKK* *CHOOSH* *CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH*_

"Free at last!" a booming voice thundered. "They will regret this betrayal... I will have my revenge! I will kill them all!"

And, leaving behind the remains of what looked like a_ gigantic eggshell_, General Scales exited his closet, and headed off to find someone who could tell him what had happened since he'd been _'away'_.

*****

_(Venom... 16 days before)_

Venomia City had been been silent for two days. No fleeing citizens, no exploding bombs, no crashing ships, no collapsing buldings, no giant robotic tyrant, no cavalry ships flying to and fro, and no heroes standing on the spot where they had liberated a galaxy. Just silence... Except for one small sound.

The sound of a body pulling itself along the rough ground by one hand. Inch by agonizing inch, the burned and bloodied form made it's way forward, though where the person was headed, they didn't know. All they had to live for was the next inch... And then the next... And then the next.

Then something changed. The hand that had been groping forward, trying to find purchase, closed around a small object. The hand quit groping... It held the object tightly, as a miraculous thing happened. Plate-like armor began to form on the reaching arm, then spread across the body. Long crimson claws sprouted from each hand. And skeletal wings erupted from the person's back.

But, most important of all, a surge of energy rushed into the person's brain, and gave them the strength to rise to their feet. Glowing red eyes took stock of their surroundings. The devastation meant nothing... The emptiness meant nothing. All that mattered was finding a way out of the city. In mere weeks, an effort would begin to bring it back to it's former greatness. But for now it would stand as a reminder of what evil could accomplish if given the chance.

"I must find a ship... I'm not strong enough to go very far, but I must... I need to leave this planet, and everything that happened here... So that I can rebuild my life... And when I'm strong... And I understand this power that is coursing through my veins... I will begin to make plans... Plans like my father, may he burn eternally, could only _dream _about... Yes... They will all learn to fear the name _Mafefe_!" The boy smiled coldly, his eyes burning brightly red, as he started slowly down the street.

*****

_(Back to the present, above Corneria...)_

"It looks like... Some sort of energy storm," Bartimaeus commented, as they all stared at the front vidscreen.

"Is it going to hit us?" Lazlo asked, worriedly.

Wolf shook his head.

"No, kid... It's going to miss Corneria entirely," he said. "It's just so big that it looks closer..."

"Mumbo like colors," the shaman stated.

They all watched in awe as the swirling mass of light, color, and electricity filled their vision. It was almost hypnotic, the way it moved, with no real patterns, just random surging.

Dox noticed something on a computer screen near him, and sat down to check it.

"Hey, this is weird," he murmured. "Some sort of signal is emanating from the energy storm."

Wolf glanced his way.

"Comm signal?" he inquired.

"Not sure, it's... I can't make it out," Dox said, shaking his head.

Kay-Tee and Andrew went to their stations, and attempted to decode the signal.

"This isn't like any encryption I've ever seen," Kay-Tee said, a moment later. "In fact-"

"Wait, it's not encrypted!" Dox interrupted. "It's just old!" He entered a command on his terminal holoboard, and suddenly the main vidscreen filled with static. Snatches of words could be heard now and then, but were garbled. "Give it a second to adjust," Dox added. "It's having to use an obsolete program."

About ten seconds went by, and then suddenly the vidscreen was filled with the image of a person. He was right in the middle of his transmission, and seemed earnest. He was an imposing looking Anthro-Wolf... Barrell-chested, broad-shouldered, and sporting a wicked looking scar that covered one side of his face, blotting out an eye.

To most of the others, he seemed intimidating, but they'd seen much worse... They just looked on with interest. Wolf, however, looked utterly shocked... A look that Josh was making use of as well.

_"...pulling this ship along through space, and I can't break free! Anyone listening, please respond! Mayday, mayday! Can anyone hear me? This is Slash O'Donnell, requesting help from any ships or planets listening! I'm aboard a ship that's not my own, so I can't name it... All I know is that I'm with a girl who claims to be from the future, named Laina Xiao. We're caught in some sort of vortex... It's pulling this ship along through space, and I can't break free! If anyone's out there, respond, %$#& you! This is Slash O'Donnell, reques-*BZZZZZZZTTTTT*..."_

The screen went black, then reverted to showing the view before them once more. They could see that the storm was now moving past Corneria, and now seemed to be picking up speed, moving quickly away. Everyone sat in silence for a moment, digesting what they had just heard. Finally, it was Lazlo who spoke.

"Did he say O'Donnell?" he asked.

Dox frowned.

"Yeah, he did," he replied. "Hey... Chief... Do you know that guy?"

Everyone turned to look at Wolf, and were surprised to see he was still staring at the vidscreen, his mouth open, his eye wide, and his hands clenched tightly around the arm rests of the captain's chair.

"Boss? You okay?" Kay-Tee asked, worriedly.

"Who was that?" Andrew threw in.

Wolf slowly detached his hands from the arm rests, closed his mouth, and swallowed hard.

"That... Was my father," he murmured, then turned to look at Josh.

The former messenger nodded slowly.

"I don't understand it, but... Yes, it was," he agreed.

Just then, before anyone could ask any questions, the comm alert went off again, this time showing an incoming holomessage from Corneria. Kay-Tee patched it through immediately.

_"Hey, Wolf?"_ It was Fox, looking confused.

Wolf looked at the screen, and managed to say, "What?"

_"We just intercepted the strangest thing... The techs at Armada HQ patched it through to me and Peppy... That was... Wasn't that your father? From inside that... Storm?"_

Wolf wasn't sure how to answer that.

"It couldn't be," he said. "I know it couldn't... But... It was." He frowned, then said, "Let me talk to one of your techs. Right now." A moment later, he was.

_"It might possibly have been a transdimensional storm,"_ a Cornerian tech said, after verifying what Wolf saw and heard. _"Think of it as a revolving door, hurtling through space... A door into the stream of time itself."_

"So... You're saying that... My father might really be alive, and in that thing?" Wolf struggled to ask.

_"Possibly... Though, it would only be because he was displaced from time at some point prior to his death... And somehow he was brought together with this Laina, whom he claims is from the future."_

"It... It would be the future, to him," Wolf replied. "She died several years ago, though..."

_"I'm not saying this is all true, or that I understand it, but some twist of fate has possibly brought your father and this Laina together, displacing them from their appropriate times, before they died, and..."_

"And...? Can they be saved?"

_"That I don't know,"_ the scientist admitted. _"The whole thing is so unstable that drawing too close might drag you into the time stream yourself. Actually keeping up with it at the speed it can travel will be near impossible... And, if you do catch it, the attempt to try and pull your father's ship out of the vortex might cause them to be instantly destroyed. But..."_

"What? Tell me!" Wolf demanded.

_"There's also a small, and I mean minute, chance that they might, just maybe, be able to exit the vortex into this time... Unharmed."_

"That's all I needed to know," Wolf declared. He closed the comm link, then looked at his team, who were waiting expectantly. He then turned and stared out the vidscreen, at the rapidly disappearing lightshow. "CT64, keep us on that thing's trail... We've got a _TimeStorm_ to catch."

_**___________The End____________**_

And that's it... Thanks to all those who have enjoyed reading this from beginning to end. Be sure to tell your friends! lol Nah, but thanks, and keep an eye out for the sequel which will be coming in the near future. (For exclusive SWA extras, head to the Chaos Gaming Community forums... The link is in my profile.) For now... WolfManJon, out.


	35. Bonus Chapter

The final chapter of _Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War_ will be informational... Beginning with a character list (in order of first appearance) :

Wolf O'Donnell (first appearance - chapter 1 ; status in story - alive at end... takes off to chase TimeStorm in ch.34)

Andrew Oikonny (first appearance - chapter 1 ; status in story - alive at end... Star Wolf pilot)

Mafefe Lamooie (first appearance - chapter 1 ; status in story - alive at end... gains special powers)

Articerile Montague (first appearance - chapter 1 ; status in story - alive at end... leaves team for parts unknown in ch.34)

Luigi Mario (first appearance - chapter 1 ; status in story - isn't seen again after first appearance)

Lazlo Buttersworth (first appearance - chapter 1 ; status in story - alive at end... Star Wolf member)

Mumbo Jumbo (first appearance - chapter 1 ; status in story - alive at end... Star Wolf pilot)

Josh Cornwell (first appearance - chapter 1 ; status in story - gains life at end of story and becomes a Star Wolf pilot)

Jo Elliot (first appearance - chapter 1 ; status in story - isn't seen again after first appearance)

Panther Caruso (first appearance - chapter 1 ; status in story - dies in chapter 29)

Kazzart Twessel (first appearance - chapter 1 ; status in story - alive at end... Star Wolf pilot)

Paradox Author (first appearance - chapter 2 ; status in story - alive at end... Star Wolf pilot)

Tor Ent (first appearance - chapter 2 ; status in story - isn't seen again after first appearance)

Leon Powalski (first appearance - chapter 2 ; status in story - dies in chapter 32)

Bartimaeus Uruk (first appearance - chapter 2 ; status in story - alive at end... Star Wolf pilot)

General Scales (first appearance - chapter 3 ; status in story - escapes imprisonment at end of story)

D (first appearance - chapter 3 ; status in story - appears briefly in ch.34 to talk to Josh, then departs for Heaven once more)

Pinkbull Dengar (first appearance - chapter 4 ; status in story - dies in chapter 5)

Pablo G. Pym (first appearance - chapter 5 ; status in story - alive at end... becomes Cornerian lieutenant)

Zack Vee (first appearance - chapter 6 ; status in story - dies in chapter 29)

El Boton (first appearance - chapter 6 ; status in story - dies in chapter 29)

Mac Banno (first appearance - chapter 6 ; status in story - dies in chapter 32)

Master SeaBee Emm (first appearance - chapter 7 ; status in story - fakes death in ch.8, returns in ch.32 as main villain, then dies for real at Wolf's hands in ch.33)

Gruntling (first appearance - chapter 7 ; status in story - dies in the same chapter he first appears)

Ancient Minister (first appearance - chapter 7 ; status in story - dies in chapter 12)

CT64 (first appearance - chapter 7 ; status in story - alive at end... Star Wolf member)

Kain Frederick (first appearance - chapter 11 ; status in story - alive at end... joins Star Falco)

Lt. Patrick (first appearance - chapter 12 (flashback) ; status in story - dies in same chapter he first appears)

EssJay Gogeta (first appearance - chapter 12 (flashback) ; status in story - dies in same chapter he first appears)

Bluett Tawarus (first appearance - chapter 12 (flashback) ; status in story - dies in chapter 30)

Mindo Pikelet (first appearance - chapter 12 (flashback) ; status in story - dies in chapter 20)

Kab Lamooie (first appearance - chapter 13 ; status in story - dies in chapter 32)

Maggie Candy (first appearance - chapter 16 ; status in story - isn't seen again after first appearance)

Misty Tinedot (first appearance - chapter 16 ; status in story - isn't seen again after first appearance)

Felix Thacket (first appearance - chapter 16 ; status in story - doesn't appear outside of chapter 16)

Lo Mo No (first appearance - chapter 16 ; status in story - doesn't appear outside of chapter 12)

Buzz Leapyear (first appearance - chapter 19 ; status in story - doesn't appear outside of chapter 19)

Fox McCloud (first appearance - chapter 21 ; status in story - alive at end... retires from Star Fox to get married)

Krystal Saphira McCloud (first appearance - chapter 22 ; status in story - alive at end... retires from Star Fox to get married)

Falco Lombardi (first appearance - chapter 22 ; status in story - alive at end... forms Star Falco to replace Star Fox)

Slippy Toad (first appearance - chapter 22 ; status in story - dies in chapter 32)

Andross Oikonny (first appearance - chapter 22 ; status in story - revealed to be a robotic decoy when destroyed in chapter 33)

Ray Newell (first appearance - chapter 23 ; status in story - dies in chapter 28)

General Pepper (first appearance - chapter 24 ; status in story - alive at end... is happily retired at end of story)

Peppy Hare (first appearance - chapter 24 ; status in story - alive at end... is made General of the Cornerian Armada)

Thorne Dirz (first appearance - chapter 24 ; status in story - dies in chapter 29)

Narl Dirz (first appearance - chapter 24 ; status in story - alive at end... becomes General to the SharpClaws)

Gil Dracone (first appearance - chapter 24 ; status in story - dies in chapter 31)

Carlos Soldado (first appearance - chapter 24 ; status in story - alive at end... Star Wolf pilot)

Icis Mazza (first appearance - chapter 27 ; status in story - alive at end... returns to his home planet at end of story)

SUB36 (first appearance - chapter 27 ; status in story - dies (unseen) in chapter 32)

Gled Jinnore (first appearance - chapter 27 ; status in story - dies in chapter 32)

Grye Jinnore (first appearance - chapter 27 ; status in story - dies in chapter 32)

Queen Mandara (first appearance - chapter 27 ; status in story - alive at end... returns to her home planet at end of story)

Bill Grey (first appearance - chapter 28 ; status in story - alive at end... joins Star Falco)

Rider Storm (first appearance - chapter 28 ; status in story - alive at end... joins Star Falco)

Axel Bond (first appearance - chapter 28 ; status in story - dies in the same chapter he first appears)

Bobby Pendragon (first appearance - chapter 30 ; status in story - doesn't appear outside of chapter 30)

Beltino Toad (first appearance - chapter 33 ; status in story - alive at end... Grieving the loss of his son, he retires)

Amanda Lilli (first appearance - chapter 33 ; status in story - alive at end... Grieving Slippy, she leaves Corneria)

Kevin Amerigo (first appearance - chapter 33 ; status in story - isn't seen again after first appearance)

Tala Zwift (first appearance - chapter 34 ; status in story - isn't seen again after first appearance)

Prince Cor (first appearance - chapter 34 ; status in story - alive at end... working to bring peace to the galaxy)

Slash O'Donnell (first appearance - chapter 34 ; status in story - appears briefly, then disappears back into TimeStorm)

Also, I'd like to mention that you can find some _SWA_ artwork (and other related projects) at my forums... The link is on my profile, so be sure to check it out if you like. You'll also find the original version of _Galaxy War_, which has a number of small differences from the one you just read. As hinted at, the _SWA _series will continue... Be sure to keep an eye out for the next installment, as well as another (unrelated) fanfiction which I am working on. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Many thanks to my dedicated fans, especially the real life counterparts of Josh, Dox, Bart, and Lazlo.

Stay frosty... and may the Creator bless you.

Jonathan Wolfe (_WolfManJon_)


End file.
